Valeria
by Jumpman87
Summary: In the dark age after the Great War, Valeria faces the horrors of the atomic wastes and her own genetic legacy. This is a reimagining of Fallout 3 where mutation is a source of great power but at a terrible price. Rated T for language, adult themes and violence. Feedback is welcome.
1. Chapter 1

On October 23, 2077, years of conflict over diminishing global fuel reserves culminated in the Great War. In one cataclysmic event the world was plunged into a dark age as  
civilization was consumed by atomic fire. Only the most fortunate were able to find shelter from the apocalypse in time, among them the inhabitants of Vault 101. On the day the sky burned, the great door of the Vault rolled closed and remained sealed for two-hundred years. The inhabitants continued their lives underground under the absolute  
authority of the Vault Overseer who shielded them from the radiated wastes as surely as the steel walls of the Vault.

Valeria knew this because it was what she had been taught her entire life. Her father James was the Vault physician and the only parent she had ever known. All she knew about her mother was that she had died of heart failure shortly after giving birth, and that her name was Catherine. Valeria soon learned that her father was very reluctant to speak about her. He would stare silently at his daughter with a look of terrible sadness and say nothing. Valeria hated seeing him in pain, and soon learned not to ask.

The one question he did answer was about the passage written in cursive that he kept framed on the wall of his office.

"I am Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. Revelation 21:6"

James would smile wistfully as he read it. He would then explain that it was from a book called 'The Bible", and that it was her mother's favorite passage.

Valeria had a quick mind and insatiable curiosity about the Vault and the world outside. Her father obliged her by letting her observe as he tended the other Vault citizens. He also showed her how to use computers and how to get access to the Vault's Library archives. Her eagerness to learn was also noted by her teacher Mr. Brotch who gave her extra reading assignments outside the standard curriculum. However, despite her love of learning school was a trial due to the harassment she suffered from the other students. Valeria was studious and socially awkward which made her a target, but more than that was her strange appearance. Valeria's hair and eyes had been white since the day she had been born, and the other children would often taunt her by calling her 'mutie'. What made it worse was the feeling that many of the adults seemed to agree.

The worst of her tormentors was an older boy named Butch Delora. Like Valeria he only had one parent, but his mother was well-known to drink too much. Backed by his gang and the unspoken approval of the other Vault residents, Butch would vent his frustrations on Valeria. Her only friend growing up was Amata Almodovar, the daughter of the Overseer. Amata suffered verbal abuse from Butch as well, but her father remained aloof and refused to intervene on his daughter's behalf.

When Valeria was ten a member of Butch's gang, a boy named Wally Mack, invited her to his birthday party. She knew better than to go, but her father insisted in trying to reduce her alienation. When the time came for games in the Vault Atrium, Wally announced they were going to play "Hunt the Mutant", which elicited snickers from Butch and the others. Valeria was designated "it", and they all came for her. Valeria was cornered at the locked door to the maintenance level, and the game of tag suddenly became a beating.

With cries of "Stomp the mutant!" Butch and his gang began kicking and hitting her. Valeria covered her head with her arms and huddled in the corner as the children flailed at her. Amata shrieked at the others to stop, then ran and found Officer Gomez. The children scattered as the guard approached and helped Valeria to her feet. Gomez regarded Valeria doubtfully as Amata hugged her and sobbed.

When she was sixteen she grown several inches taller than the tallest boy, and her appearance had become even stranger. Her adult eye teeth were noticeably longer than normal and her nails were growing in dark and thick. The hazing from Butch and his gang had lessened to insults, especially after the day she caught them taunting Amata. She told them to leave, and emboldened by his gang Butch told her get out before she got hurt. One look at Amata's frightened and angry face and all the anger Valeria suppressed exploded. With one punch she sent Butch to the floor then turned and snarled at the others. With looks of shock and fear, they fled, leaving Butch covering his nose and staring at her in terror. Valeria stepped toward him and Butch scrambled to his feet and ran.

Not long after, Valeria took the General Occupation Aptitude Test that all young Vault Dwellers had to take to decide their places within the Vault. The questions seemed strange and irrelevant, but she handed it in to Mr. Brotch confident that with her experience with her father she would be working as a medical aide. She remembered the look of sadness on Brotch's face as he took her test without looking at it.

Valeria soon found that she was going to work in maintenance, an occupation regarded by the Vault inhabitants as a glorified janitor. Her father consoled her by telling her that the test was no indicator of her true potential. The GOAT was only for occupations useful to the Vault, and for her to do her best. Valeria tried to put on a brave face, but she couldn't shake the feeling that once again she singled out for being different.

Under the supervision of Chief Technician Stanley, she found that maintenance involved a considerable amount of hard work that was completely unappreciated by the other Vault inhabitants. It was also fairly isolated, which Valeria found a welcome change from the suspicion and unease she experienced elsewhere. Her father had been more preoccupied than usual, and Valeria hadn't seen much of him. Amata in administration in the upper level and Valeria didn't see her often either. The last time was when her father was treating her in his small clinic for what he diagnosed as anemia. As Valeria left she found Amata standing outside. Her friend apologized for being so busy and promised they would get together soon. Valeria watched Amata go with the weary conviction that 'soon' was anything but.

Valeria had been busy inspecting the water purifier when Stanley found her and told her there had been radroach sightings. He sounded apologetic when he said that she was ordered to enter the sub-level and find the breach to the outside. Valeria gave Stanley the tight-lipped smile she had adopted to hide her teeth, and told him it was fine. Valeria liked Stanley, and knew the overworked technician was simply relaying orders. So, armed only with her pipboy and a wrench, Valeria entered the sealed door to the sublevel.

The tunnels were more extensive than Valeria realized, and her schematic proved of limited use. Apparently the schematic was a generic Vault layout which the level she was in clearly deviated from. The tunnels ranged in size from low corridors to crawlspaces with no clear logic to them. Valeria decided to follow the old electrical cables in the ceiling. At the very least she would be able to find her way back to the vault. She was about to give up and turn back when she suddenly heard a scrabbling noise all around her. Looking up she saw radroaches scuttle out from under the pipes in the ceiling and down the walls. It was then that she became aware of a loud snapping and popping noise from the ceiling. There was a sudden flash and molten metal began to drip from a short. The current was melting the cables and the air was filling with acrid smoke. The ancient electrical system in the sublevels was shorting out and starting fires all along its length. Valeria realized that it was the fires that drove off the Radroaches, and that they were fleeing back the way she had come from.

The smoke was getting thicker as she retraced her steps through the tunnels until she found the door closed and sealed. After shouting to no avail, Valeria accepted the grim reality that Stanley couldn't hear her and she had to find another way out of the sublevel. Her lungs were starting to burn as she tied a grease-stained rag over her face and turned back into the tunnel. Hoping to find clearer air, Valeria couched as she moved through the choking darkness until she spotted a vent near the floor. With no idea how much air she had left, Valeria hooked her fingers into the grating, braced her feet to either side of it, and pulled. Desperation aided her as she tore the grating loose and squirmed into the narrow opening.

Valeria had to fight panic more than once as she inched down the tight crawlway. Every time she thought she was stuck she would pause, fight the fear that threatened to overwhelm her, then inch forward until she was clear. Going back was no longer an option; Valeria had no choice but to continue forward and hope that the vent opened somewhere. Finally after inching around a corner she found herself facing a grating that seemed to open into a room beyond. The air was slightly better and she paused to gulp a few breaths before she put her hands on the grate and braced her feet against the wall behind her. Valeria straightened her legs and pushed with a scream of effort. The grate tore loose and hit the floor below with a clang.

Valeria crawled forward and dropped to the floor coughing while smoke billowed out the vent above. Looking around she found she was inside a storage room stacked with reinforced steel crates. Through the haze of smoke she could see the red flashes of fire alarms. Suddenly she heard the voice of the Overseer echoing from the PA system over the blare of the alarms.

"All Vault citizens are to stay in their quarters, the radroach infestation is under control. Any interference with Vault Security personnel will be dealt with…severely."

Valeria wondered where Stanley was as she made her way through the maintenance bays toward the stairs. Suddenly through the smoke she could make out someone in Vault Security armor decending the stairs. Peering through the smoke, the guard spotted her and said. "Valeria?" She recognized officer Gomez and walked up to him with relief. Before she could speak, he said. "It's a good thing I found you, the others won't be so forgiving."

"What?" Valeria exclaimed in bewilderment. "This fire isn't my fault! There was a short in the sublevel wiring!"

"That's not what I'm talking about." Gomez said shaking his head. "In all the confusion your father left the Vault."

"Left the Vault?" Valeria asked in shock. "The door can't be opened, how could he leave?"

"Apparently it can. Your father's gone, and Jonas is dead."

Valeria stared at Gomez as her world seemed to tilt around her. Jonas was her father's friend and lab assistant.

"Dead, how?"

"He stayed behind when your father left and Mack started interrogating him." Gomez looked away then continued. "I've never seen Mack like that, he was out of control. Jonas wouldn't tell him why your father left, and Mack hit him. Once he started he…wouldn't stop."

Valeria stared at Gomez, unable to speak as she tried to comprehend what she was hearing. Gomez looked at her and said urgently. "Mack and the Overseer went to look for Amata and I was sent down here to look for you."

"Why are they looking for Amata?" Valeria asked with alarm.

"Mack thinks you may have told her something, and I think it's something personal."

"He wouldn't dare hurt her, she's the Overseer's daughter."

"The Overseer was with us when Mack killed Jonas and he didn't do anything. You're a good kid, and your father took good care of us. Maybe you know something and maybe you don't, but you don't deserve this." Gomez shook his head and continued. "The Vault isn't safe for you anymore, you have to leave now while you can!"

"Leave?" Valeria said, her eyes tearing. "Where will I go?"

"I don't know." Gomez said sadly. "But you don't have a choice. After what happened to Jonas, I think Mack plans to kill you."

Valeria stared at Gomez then hugged the surprised guard. Blinking away-unexpected tears, Gomez awkwardly patted her on the back. After a moment, Valeria stepped back and ran past him to the stairs.

When Valeria reached the main floor she considered heading to the dormitories to retrieve some of her possessions, then quickly dismissed the idea. She ran instead toward the atrium, climbing the stairs and running through the door at the top. The atrium was hazy with smoke and covered with dead radroaches. Directly before her was the body of a security guard, apparently swarmed by the insects. Not wanting to know who it was, she didn't look at his face as she took his baton. She looked toward the corridor leading to the Vault entry chamber and could make out two guards standing in front of the door, pistols drawn. It didn't seem they could see her in the dim light and Valeria looked about for another exit. Then she saw the stairs leading up to the Administration level. With sudden resolve, Valeria ran to the stairs. She had no idea how she was going to escape from the Vault but she had to find Amata. She had just reached the Operations Room when she heard her voice from the corridor ahead.

"Why are you doing this?" She pleaded. "I don't know anything!"

Running into the hallway Valeria saw the door to the detention room was open. Without stopping to think, Valeria charged in. She saw Amata sitting in a chair looking terrified as Officer Mack brandished his baton in front of her. Off to the side stood her father, his face like stone. Amata's mouth opened with shock as she saw Valeria, and Mack whirled just as she swung her baton. He blocked it, and then struck forcing Valeria to step back.

"If the overseer let me do this to Amata, just think what I can do to a freak like you!" Mack snarled with a savage grin. Valeria felt rage surge through her and with a shriek launched herself at him. Still grinning, Mack blocked her first blow, but found him being driven back by the unexpected ferocity of her attack. Mack's hand began to go numb from the fury of her blows when he saw an opening, and slashed upward with his baton. Unable to block Valeria leaped back and sprawled to the floor. With a shout of triumph Mack struck, hitting the floor as she rolled to the side. Almost dropping his baton, Mack cursed as he raised it for another swing. Valeria's hand struck the base of the chair Amata had sat on, and with a shriek she seized its base and flung it at Mack.

Caught by surprise, Mack reeled back as the chair hit him in the chest. Scrambling to her feet Valeria swung with all her strength, smashing her baton into Mack's temple with a sickening crunch. Blood covered his head as the officer crumpled to the floor. Wild eyed, Valeria looked up and saw that the Overseer had already fled. Amata stood in the corner, her eyes wide with horror. Valeria dropped the baton when Amata ran forward and embraced her. Valeria closed her eyes and held her in return as sirens wailed about them.

"Thank you!" Amata sobbed. "I've never seen my father like that. I don't know what Mack would have done."

"Amata, I have to leave the vault." Valeria said as stepped back from her friend. She looked at Mack's body in a spreading pool of blood and realized that if the Vault wasn't closed to her before, it was now. Amata also looked at Mack's body and nodded, her tear streaked face grim.

"You're right, we have to go before my father calls the other guards." Amata ran to the door and quickly looked up and down the hall. Valeria followed as Amata ran into the hall. When they reached the Operations room, she turned to Valeria.

"Hide here, I'll be right back!" Valeria hesitated, then nodded and ran behind the massive mainframes while Amata continued down the hall. Valeria crouched in the smoky darkness then heard Amata's voice shouting from the Atrium below.

"Valeria's upstairs! She killed officer Mack and is after my father!" She sounded almost hysterical when she added. "Please hurry, they ran to the Overseer's office!" Soon Valeria heard the guards run through Operations toward the security area. After she heard them pass, Valeria stood and ran out of the room after Amata.

At the bottom of the stairs Valeria found Amata waiting, her face pale but resolute. "Come on." She said. "They'll be back any second."

The doors at the end of the hall were locked, but opened when Amata slid a passkey through the card reader. Valeria stepped through, then realized Amata hadn't followed her. Valeria turned back to see her friend standing in the doorway, her face grief-stricken but resolute.

"I can't go with you Valeria."

"But your father…"

"He'll come around…He has to." Amata said shaking her head. "If anyone can make him see reason, it's me."

"What if he doesn't? He was watching while Mack tortured you!"

"Officer Mack didn't actually touch me." Amata replied looking away. "I…have to believe my father would have stopped him before it got that…far." Amata looked up as Valeria stepped toward her.

"You have to go now!" She insisted. "The guards are coming back, and you won't make it to the door unless I stop them." She held the passkey out to Valeria. "Take it. I'll tell them you took it from me and ran. If we lock the door it will take time to get another key."

"Amata…I." Valeria stammered as she took the key.

"Please go!" Amata cried, as tears again began to fill her eyes. Valeria stared at her friend, then stepped forward and embraced her. Amata sobbed as they held each other for an eternal moment, then Valeria released her and ran through the door and up the stairs beyond. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve as she heard the door close behind her, than passed through the last door to the entry chamber.

Valeria stopped as she faced the massive cog shaped door that she never thought she'd see. Beyond was what all Vault citizens had been told was a radiated hell yet it was where her father had gone. As bewildered as she was about his actions, she had to believe they were for the best possible reasons. It was the only way she could comprehend how he could abandon her in the Vault without an explanation, or even a goodbye. Nearby she saw the control panel for the door, a simple affair consisting of a power button and a lever. With a glance behind her, Valeria stepped up to the panel and activated it.

As the lever slowly returned to its starting position, an alarm began to sound as steam jetted from a huge steel arm that lowered to the door and attached to it. There was a pause, then with a screech the door slid back in its frame until it was clear, then the arm rolled it to the side. Valeria walked to the rough-hewn tube of solid rock, with dim light filtering from the far end.

As Valeria stepped forward she felt her boot crunch through something. Turning on her Pipboy light, she looked down and saw that her foot had crushed part of a ribcage. Slowly swinging her light around, she saw the tunnel before the door was littered with human bones, giving mute testimony to the panic and terror when atomic fire rained from the sky. Swallowing hard, Valeria looked again toward the end of the tunnel when she heard the alarm sound behind her. Turning, she saw the door rolling back into place. For one second she tensed to throw herself back into the Vault, but her feet wouldn't move and the moment passed. With a boom, the huge door slammed shut, sealing in the only life Valeria had ever known.

Having no alternative, Valeria turned and began to walk down the silent tunnel. As she neared the end, she saw that it was blocked with a reinforced wooden gate, through which shafts of light were beaming. She stopped and moved her hand through a beam, watching as dust motes swirled around it. She had been raised in the bluish tones of fluorescent light, with almost dust free filtered air. The gold rays of what had to be the sun was almost miraculous to her.

Suddenly she yanked her hand back as if it had been burned. What about radiation? She could be inhaling radioactive dust at that moment! After a second of panic, she suddenly recalled her Pipboy's Geiger counter. It was not giving her the crackling warning of high levels of radiation, so she forced herself to calm down. Facing the door, she steeled herself and worked the lock. She heard an electric buzz followed by a click, and the door swung open. She stepped forward out of the cave and covered her eyes as she unaccustomed brightness blinded her.

Her eyes teared as she blinked and tried to adjust to the brilliant sunlight as her nose was assailed by a host of unidentified smells all carried by the moaning wind. She sneezed and coughed as dust and grit blew into her mouth and nose. Finally her eyes began to clear, and she looked out on a sight no one save her father had seen for two hundred years. She was standing on a rocky hillside with still more ancient skeletons scattered about. The sun was low in the sky, but she was able to look up into the vast blue vault above her. Even in the dusty haze the vastness of the sight almost made her drop to her knees.

Unable to stare into the sky any longer, she looked down and immediately saw a battered metal sign that read "SCENIC OVERLOOK". Almost smiling at the irony, Valeria stepped forward to the edge of the cliff and looked upon the forbidden landscape. Although all Vault children had been taught about the Great War, it had always seemed abstract, almost unreal. Now she looked upon the shattered remnants of what was once the capital of the United States of America, and the horror of that event came crashing down on her. The jagged ruins of the buildings in the distance, and the burned shells of houses below all attested to the fury of the day that civilization was obliterated in a nuclear holocaust.

She could smell smoke on the wind. If there was smoke, there was fire. Fire meant the possible presence of people, and it was people she had to find. Her life in the Vault did nothing to prepare her for what was going to face, but Valeria knew she would have to face it. The door had literally closed on her life in the Vault. Her future now lay before her.

In the wasteland.


	2. Chapter 2

Valeria descended down a dirt path to the pitted remains of a road strewn with the rusting remains of pre-war cars. She had seen picture of the vehicles in the Vault archives, but they had been in pristine condition with brilliant coats of paint. The charred remains of the symbols of American freedom and prosperity were scattered about frozen in the moment of their destruction. Valeria followed the road between two rows of burned out two-story houses. A moaning wind carried clouds of dust forcing her to blink and cover her eyes.

Suddenly a silver sphere with antennas protruding from it like quills floated toward her. It was playing patriotic music that she recognized from holotapes as the "Battle Hymn of the Republic". Mystified, she stepped aside into the shade of an empty porch as the odd sphere bobbed past.

"Make a fucking move and you're dead." A voice hissed behind her. Valeria froze as her heart began to pound.

"Put your fucking hands in the air and turn around slow." The man behind her ordered in a harsh whisper.

Valeria raised her hands and turned into the dark ruin. She found herself looking down the twin barrels of a sawn off shotgun. The man holding it had been burned by the sun and was covered with streaks of dirt and the dark tattoos. He was partly covered with armor made of scraps of leather and steel and his eyes glittered over a mouth full of stained teeth. He reeked of sweat, smoke, and the unmistakable tang of blood. The wastelander looked her up and down with a savage grin and said. "I'll be damned. You're from that fucking vault ain't ya?" Valeria gave a short nod, knowing it was futile to deny it in her vault jumpsuit.

They heard the music of the sphere as it floated back up the street and the wastelander jabbed his gun at her face and ran his finger across his throat. Valeria got the message, and she stood silent as the sphere passed. The wastelander jerked his gun toward the back of the house where only charred beams were visible against the morning sky. Valeria stepped past him and carefully made her way through the beams as her captor followed close behind. He didn't speak again until they were clear of the house and walking past the sad remains of a playground.

"Now we won't have any interruptions from that eyebot." The wastelander said as he prodded her with his gun. "Can you get back in, or did you get lost?"

"I can't get back in." Valeria replied. "The door's sealed."

"Too bad for you." The wastelander replied. "We'll find some use for you, don't you worry about that." He sneered as they approached a ruined building. The remaining letters on a sign out front suggested that it was once an Elementary school. Now only two floors remained, the rest having been blown off. Valeria saw movement from the ruined windows above and heard a woman shout. "Hey, Tuco's back and he's got fresh meat!"

"That's one use!" Tuco said laughing as Valeria felt her heart pound faster. Inside the doors, Valeria found herself in a dimly lit entry hall with a vaulted ceiling and a balcony. A tall steel cage strewn with bones and heavily stained mattresses dominated the room. From the doors around the room, more wastelanders appeared, all heavily armed with a wide assortment of guns and blades. All of them were filthy, scarred and heavily tattooed. Like her captor, they also wore an assortment of leather and metal adorned with skulls, bones and spikes.

"Where the fuck is Razor?" Tuco demanded, and a woman with an evil smile stepped forward smoking a cigarette. She mostly spiked leather, but Valeria noted with alarm the severed human hands she had hanging from her belt.

"We got us a Vault dweller here." Tuco announced. "Razor, do your stuff until we know everything she knows."

Razor stepped forward and seized Valeria's face in one black-nailed hand and forced her mouth open.

"Fuck!" She exclaimed. "This one's got fangs!" She pulled a butcher knife from her belt and held it in front of Valeria's face. "Guess they'll have to go!"

Almost numb with horror, Valeria knew she had to do something before she was tortured or killed.

"I…I can get you into the Vault Storehouses!" She blurted.

"You said you can't get back in." Tuco said seizing her arm and turning her to face him.

"I can't…but once inside my pipboy acts like a passkey and opens all the computer locks." Valeria held up her wrist to show them all her Pipboy. "We store a lot of pre war goods and supplies, better then anything outside."

"So we take the Pipboy." Tuco said seizing her wrist. "And you get some playtime with Razor."

"The Pipboys are keyed to the wearer." Valeria said quickly. "They don't work unless they can pick up their life signs." She reached for the clasps holding it on when she found herself again looking down the barrels of the shotgun.

"I'm just going to show you." Valeria said as she slowly removed the device. Tuco watched as the computer screen went dark several seconds after it was removed. Valeria began to put it back on when Razor said. "Big deal, we just make sure she doesn't die. I'll bet she can live through a lot, can't you fang girl?"

"Shut it Razor!" Tuco ordered. He looked thoughtfully at Valeria then said. "All right, take her to the other scabs and put her to work. We need another scab after that last cave-in." Two wastelanders stepped forward and seized her arms. Before they drug her away Tuco raised his hand and said.

"If I find out you're lying to me, you'll be begging me to let Razor have you before I'm through."

Valeria was taken through the dark corridors of the school down several fights of stairs to the basement. There it was dark and the air was humid from steam leaking from the ancient heating system. One of the rooms had a tunnel dug through the school's foundation. It was shored up with timbers and lit by occasional lanterns. From below Valeria could hear the sound of metal striking stone.

They tunnel wound it's way to an intersection, the left branch leading to a pile of stone and debris, the other leading to a narrow chamber where seven people were chipping at the rock and concrete with improvised tools. All of them were filthy and wearing clothes stitched from tanned hides.

"Hey, scabs!" One of Valeria's guards shouted. "Here's a new one, give her the sledge and put her on the front." The guard shoved her forward and added. "She looks like she ain't scared of some work!" They both laughed as they turned and walked back up the tunnel, leaving Valeria facing the other captives. A gaunt bearded man stepped forward and handed her a heavy sledgehammer. "I'm Ben." He said.

"Welcome to hell."

"On your feet scab!" A raider snarled as he kicked Valeria in the side. Valeria glared up at him, then quickly averted her eyes. The raiders expected some defiance, but even meeting their gaze too long invited a beating. Valeria sat up, her stomach aching with hunger and her body stiff and sore from sleeping on the ground. The raiders allowed their captives to rest in short shifts wherever they could find space on the floor of the tunnel. Food was brought in a bucket and consisted of burned and raw meat. It tasted foul and apparently was from a creature called a Molerat. Water was also brought in bucket, how the prisoners drank from it was their problem. Valeria had turned off her radiation counter when it was apparent all the food and water was contaminated. With death from dehydration or starvation the alternative, Valeria tried to ignore how much radiation she was absorbing. The raiders didn't like her looking at her pipboy, so she had stopped checking the time as well.

"Break time's over, get to work scabs!" The raider sneered as Valeria and two other prisoners, Tom and Wendy got to their feet. Valeria picked up her sledgehammer and headed toward the glow of a lantern further down the tunnel. Valeria was grateful that her natural athleticism allowed her to readily use the hammer to break rocks and concrete. However, she knew her strength and stamina wasn't going to last under the brutal treatment they were suffering from the raiders.

At the end of the tunnel, Valeria saw Ben stand from a group of prisoners, wiping his streaming face with his arm. Looking past Valeria to the raider behind her he said.

"The holes are dug, we can put the charges in now."

"Good work scab." The raider said. He then brandished his rifle and shouted. "The rest of you get back up the tunnel."

Wearily Valeria turned back and trudged with the others toward the intersection. Apparently the raiders had taken a caravan that was carrying a stock of explosives. Tuco was chafing at the pace the digging was taking and wanted to use explosives to speed up progress. Valeria suspected she knew more about setting charges then the raiders did, but the prisoners weren't allowed to go near the stack of ammo crates and she didn't volunteer.

One raider watched the prisoners while another carried a crate down the tunnel. The captives sat and waited in exhausted apathy until the raider ran back shouting, "This is gonna be fun!" At that moment an explosion shook the ground and showered them with grit from the ceiling. The raider had been flung to the floor, and he got to his feet cursing while his partner laughed and shouted. "Got what you deserved dumbass!"

The raiders ignored the continued groaning of the timbers supporting the ceiling and pointed their guns at the prisoners. "All right, get moving scabs!" Fearfully they all got to their feet and started down the smoke and dust filled tunnel. Valeria glared at the two raiders, her fists tightening on her hammer.

"Keep moving freak!" The female raider said as she pointed her rifle at Valeria's stomach. Valeria turned and followed the others into the tunnel. Up ahead she saw the rest of the prisoners moving rocks from a jagged opening into what appeared to be a cavern.

"Fuck yeah!" the female raider exclaimed. "We'll be in that Vault in no time!"

"Okay, everyone into the hole!" The other raider shouted, and with fearful looks, the prisoners picked their way cautiously over the rubble and into the cavern. Valeria was the last to enter and she looked up at a ceiling dripping with stalactites. There was a sickly green glow everywhere from a strange glowing fungus. She also noticed several round tunnel openings at different heights on the walls. The air inside the cavern was stale but breathable despite a sickly sweet odor.

Suddenly from across the cavern Valeria heard Ben curse, and then he started running back.

"Ants!" He shouted. "We're in a fucking ant's nest!"

As if on cue, the air was suddenly filled with a rustling snapping sound as the shadows around the cavern began to seethe with motion. The Raiders swore and began firing their weapons indiscriminately. Caught in the crossfire, Ben went down as a bullet smashed into his forehead. The other captives cursed and screamed as bullets and mandibles tore into them. Valeria flung herself to the side when the raiders opened fire, a wild round leaving a bloody track under her arm. She tried to scramble to her feet when she felt mandibles close on her boot. Flipping over, Valeria drove her heel into the ant's face. Chitin cracked under her boot and the giant insect's mandibles sprang open.

Valeria scrambled for the tunnel and found it empty. A glance back showed a seething mass of mandibles, glittering multifaceted eyes, and nothing else. Turning, Valeria staggered to her feet and ran down the tunnel as the chittering mass began to surge after her. Only one lantern was left at the intersection and Valeria almost tripped over a toppled ammo crate. In a glance she realized that the explosives the Raiders were using were land mines. Seizing a mine, Valeria quickly armed it and flung it behind her. She then grabbed another and ran up the tunnel.

Valeria had reached the ramp leading to the school when a cloud of smoke and dust boiled out of the tunnel, enveloping her in darkness. There was another explosion as the other mines went off followed by a roar as the tunnel collapsed. Coughing and choking, Valeria crawled to the top of the ramp. Finding the door, she found it jammed closed by the fleeing raiders. Turning back to the tunnel, Valeria turned on her Pipboy light as she felt around for the landmine. Finding it, she returned to the ancient steel door and slapped the mine against it. She then turned and threw herself to the ground as an explosion filled the air with shrapnel.

Deafened, Valeria got to her feet and felt wetness on her back. She had no idea how badly she was hurt, and knew she had no time to find out. A raider lay dead in the hall under the remains of the door. Valeria turned and limped around the corner and down another dark hallway. She heard the sound of curses and shouts getting louder behind her as raiders descended into the basement from upstairs. Knowing she would be lucky if they only killed her, Valeria desperately tried to ignore her injuries as she limped around another corner. Before her was a double door which she smashed open with her shoulder.

She stumbled into the gutted remains of the school's basement level. The windows and ceiling were gone and she could see the faint stars of early evening through the gaps in the walls. Gritting her teeth, Valeria ran up a dirt ramp out of the basement and around the corner of the school. In the distance she could see lights from what the other prisoners had identified as the town of Megaton. Knowing it was her only chance, Valeria started to run down the ruined street. It was then her luck ran out as she heard a voice from above shout. "Fuck! Fang girl's getting away!"

Drawing on every reserve she had left, Valeria desperately tried to put distance between herself and the school. She had passed an ancient fuel station shaped like a rocket ship when bullets began to whip past her. Suddenly a bullet went through her thigh and Valeria tumbled to the ground. Gasping she tried to get up, but was only able to get to her hands and knees when a boot smashed into her side. Valeria was flung gasping on her back as Razor stepped over her and yanked the slide of her pistol.

"Bye bye fang girl." She said as she pointed the pistol at Valeria's face. Suddenly there was a crack and the raider's grin vanished as her head exploded. Razor's body toppled to the ground as Valeria collapsed totally spent.

"Got her Sheriff!" A distant voice shouted.

"Nice shooting Stockholm!" A much closer voice shouted in reply. Valeria felt the world going gray as a dark bearded face under a wide brimmed hat blocked the evening sky.

"Well I'll be damned, you're from that Vault." Valeria tried to say something in reply, but nothing came as she fell into unconciouness.


	3. Chapter 3

Valeria opened her eyes and found herself staring at a naked light bulb hanging from a ceiling made of rusted sheet metal. She was lying on an old hospital bed and was wearing only her underwear. With a groan she sat up and saw that her legs and torso were wrapped with clean bandages. There was only one door and no windows in the room, with only a battered side table and the bed for furniture.

Suddenly the door opened and a woman in stained workman's coveralls entered. Her red hair was tied back from her face and her smile widened when she saw Valeria.

"You're awake!" The woman exclaimed in delight. "I thought you'd pull through, although it looked a bit iffy for a while there. Bullets are funny things, sometimes they just pass through and sometimes they bounce around inside you. Your femoral artery was nicked, and you had shrapnel wounds, radiation poisoning, and dehydration

Lucky for you I was here with lots of bandages!" Valeria opened her mouth but before she could speak.

I'm Moira Brown, proprietor of Craterside Supply." Moira gushed. "Junk is my business, and I'm also sort of Megaton's resident physician. I've been working on a book about survival in the Wasteland, and I've needed a subject for the section on surviving injuries. What a lucky break when Simms brought you in!"

"Uh, thank you." Valeria said, bewildered by Moira's bubbling breathless optimism.

"No need to thank me." Moira replied. "You made a wonderful contribution for science and the good of humanity. I even stitched a smiley face in you to keep your spirits up. Although it is kind of hard to see from your side."

Moira paused, and since Valeria only sat and stared she extended her hand and said. "Very pleased to meet you miss?"

"Valeria." She replied taking the strange woman's calloused hand. Moira turned Valeria's over and looked at it. "When they brought you in, you were wearing a vault suit. Are you really from Vault 101?" Moira asked.

"Yes…I was." Valeria answered slowly pulling her hand from Moira's grasp.

"Great!" Moira exclaimed. "You have to tell me all about what life was like in there! Do any other Vault dwellers have enlarged canines and white eyes? Your finger and toenails seem to be a thicker form of keratin, almost like hoof material. Has there been a mutagen introduced into the environment?"

"Uh no." Valeria replied. "I'm the only one who looks like this."

"Wow." Moira sighed. "A chance to study a spontaneous mutagenic event from a sealed environment!"

"I'm in Megaton?" Valeria interrupted.

"Yes dear, Lucas Simms brought you in after driving those raiders off."

"I'm looking for my father, James. I think he would have worn a vault suit and a Pipboy."

"He was your father?" Moira asked in astonishment. "Oh I'll bet you have a great story about why you both left the Vault!"

"He's here?" Valeria asked urgently as she tried to stand then winced as she felt the burn of pulled stitches.

"He was." Moira replied. "He left days ago and I never got a chance to talk to him. Word around town is that he went to Moriarty's, then left the same day in a real hurry."

"Where did he go?" Valeria asked as she leaned against the wall.

"I don't know." Replied Moira. "But maybe someone at Moriarty's does." Moira then began to check Valeria's bandages. "Now you need to take it easy. You clearly can take a lot of abuse, but your wounds haven't healed yet. I'll need you in tip-top shape if you're going to help me with my book."

"What book?" Valeria asked.

"The Wasteland Survival Guide." Moira explained. "You sort of owe me for patching you up, and you don't have any money, supplies, or a place to stay. I'll pay you in room and board in return for help with my research. Deal?" Moira stuck out her hand and after a pause, Valeria took it.

"Deal."

When Valeria asked where her clothes were, Moira returned her vault jumpsuit reinforced with padding and pieces of armor.

"You were going to need better protection in the field." Moira explained. "And besides, it was fun."

Despite Moira's protests, Valeria put on the suit and headed through the dim crowded shop. When she opened the steel door she blinked in the unexpected glare of the setting sun and covered her nose against a host of odors. The air of Megaton smelled of wood smoke, cooking meat, and the sour tang of untreated refuse. She stepped forward to a railing and looked down into a wide crater.

Megaton was clearly named after the huge bomb lying at the bottom of the crater. The town was built into the sides of the crater and walled by parts scavenged from pre-war jetliners. The bomb was suspended on a framework over a pool of water with a sign reading "Church of the Atom" hanging from it. A quick check of her Pipboy confirmed that there was background radiation that Valeria suspected came from the ancient weapon. Standing in front of the bomb was a gray-haired man with a beard wearing the rough skin outfit many wastelanders wore. She could make out snatches of speech where he was praising the glory of 'Atom', and Valeria realized with astonishment that he was referring to the bomb.

Valeria shook her head at the strange frightening world she was now living in and looked around for Moriarty's Saloon. Soon she saw the hand-lettered wooden sign above a ramshackle structure jutting from the edge of the crater. Valeria took a deep breath and started walking up a pitted steel ramp.

As Valeria walked around the crater, she passed other residents of Megaton, all of whom were carrying a weapon of some kind. Although they were clearly curious, their faces were guarded and uninviting. Valeria wasn't surprised given her own experience outside the wall. The world wasn't dead as she had been taught in the Vault, but it was savage and cruel. Finally she stood before the door to the Saloon under the flickering yellow glow of an electric lamp. Once again she paused to take a deep breath, then she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The saloon was dark and smoky, with several patrons at the bar hunkered over their drinks. An attractive redheaded woman stood and smoked in the corner as she casually appraised Valeria. In a small room to her right, Valeria could also see a man in a suit and fedora, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses as he sat and smoked a cigar. A radio on the bar was playing pre-war music as the bartender polished glasses, his back to the bar. Valeria stepped forward and cleared her throat. The bartender turned and to her shock Valeria saw that his face was covered with rotting flesh.

"What do you need smoothskin?" The bartender rasped in a hoarse voice.

"Are you…okay?" Valeria asked hesitantly.

"What? You never seen a ghoul before?"

"No…I haven't."

"Oh I get it, you're the kid from the Vault aren't you?"

"Yes, my name's Valeria. And you are?" Valeria hesitated a moment, then held out her hand.

"Gob." Said the ghoul, staring in amazement at her. "You want to shake my hand?"

"I'm sorry if I offended you." Valeria replied pulling her hand back.

"No it's not that." Gob said shaking his head. "Nobody wants me to even look at them, let alone shake hands." He glanced around furtively then leaned toward Valeria. "Moriarty would kill me if he knew, but for you, I'll risk giving you a discount on whatever you're having."

"What's a…ghoul?"

"Well, despite what you'll hear I'm human. I just soaked up too much radiation and it changed me. Now rads don't hurt me but I look like a corpse. There's a whole city of ghouls in the DC ruins called Underworld. I used to live there before I got caught by slavers and sold to Moriarty. I've been stuck in this dive ever since." Gob sighed as he looked at the Radio. "What I wouldn't give to be a part of the 'good fight' with Three Dog."

"Three Dog?"

Gob was about to answer when his eyes widened and he quickly turned away as Valeria heard footsteps behind her.

"Well now, what do we have here?"

Valeria turned and faced a hard faced older man with white hair and a short beard.

"Well, well." The man said, his arms crossed over his black leather vest. "Another one from the Vault. Truly this is a momentous occasion for my wee little piece of paradise."

"Are you Moriarty?" Valeria asked.

"At your service." Moriarty replied with a mocking nod. "You have me at a disadvantage miss…?"

"Valeria." She replied. "I'm looking for my father, James."

"James is your father eh?" Moriarty said peering closely at her face. "I don't see the resemblance, although the last time we met you were a wee babe."

"We've…met?" Valeria asked startled.

"Aye." Moriarty said with a grin at her reaction. "It was, let's see, about eighteen years or so ago. Your daddy came through here with you not even weaned. He asked some questions about the Vault then disappeared until he walked back in here four days ago."

"That's…impossible." Valeria stammered, yet something in Moriarty's tone made her uncertain.

"Ah…" Moriarty drawled. "Daddy kept a few secrets from you did he? Oh well, time to grow up kid."

Valeria shook her head in stunned denial, but suddenly so many things were making sense. The evasive non-answers her father always gave when she asked him about his past. She had always assumed they had been born in the vault, but now that she thought about it, he had never denied nor confirmed that fact. Moriarty watched the confusion play out on her face with an amused smirk.

"Ah, its sad to see innocence lost. Oh well, Daddy lied, life goes on."

Valeria shook her head then glared at Moriarty.

"Where did my father go Moriarty?" She demanded.

"Ah yes." Replied Moriarty. "Information is a commodity in the wasteland kid, you want it, you need to pay for it."

"How much?"

"You catch on quick." Moriarty said with a smile. "A hundred caps will get you the location of dear old dad."

"I'll get your caps Moriarty." Valeria said as she started to walk out of the bar.

"A pleasure doing business with you." Moriarty said with a wave. "Come back any time you need to forget your troubles."

Valeria returned to Craterside Supply with her mind spinning with what she had learned. If it was true, then neither she nor her father had been born in the Vault. Why did her father lie about it? And why did he leave? She knew the only way to get information was to pay for it, and she had nothing but the clothes on her back. By the time she returned to the shop her wounds were aching from exertion and night was falling. Moira was sweeping as she prepared to close when Valeria went upstairs to her small room and lay on the bed.

Her sleep was fitful, her wounds ached and she felt feverish. Finally she couldn't stand it any longer and got up. According to her Pipboy it was well past mid night as she put on her jumpsuit and boots. Not knowing what else to do, Valeria crept carefully across the dark shop and opened the front door. A cold breeze was blowing across the town, which was otherwise quiet. She could hear the rumble of the generators that powered the lights scattered around Megaton. Valeria walked to the rail and looked down at the ancient weapon. After two hundred years the bomb had to have been inactive, but it still gave her a chill to look at it.

Suddenly she noticed a pulse of red light under the device. Puzzled she leaned out for a better look. She was sure she hadn't seen any flashing red lights on it before. Curious, she headed down the ramp to the floor of the crater. As she approached the bomb looked even larger, and she began to hear the crackle of her Geiger counter. Startled she looked at her Pipboy and saw that the level of ambient radiation was spiking as she approached the bomb. She also saw that the red flashing was coming from a boxlike device inserted into an open panel. With dawning horror, Valeria realized what she was looking at. It was a pulse charge, and its timer was counting down!

Someone had rigged the bomb to explode! The timer showed only minutes to detonation, there was no possible way she or anyone else in Megaton could get away in time. With icy clarity Valeria realized there was only one course of action. Turning off her Geiger counter, Valeria splashed into the radioactive water and started feeling around the wires on the detonator. She tried not to look at the digital display as she desperately tried to remember everything she had read about demolitions and atomics.

Precious seconds ticked by as she searched for the wires connecting the charge to the bomb as she was silently ravaged by radiation spilling from the opened casing. Sweat poured from her and her eyes began to blur when she finally found the wires. Which one to disconnect? Valeria staggered as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. With her failing vision, she couldn't tell for certain what color they were. She glanced at the timer and with a desperate heave pulled the charge out of the bomb in a shower of sparks. The timer frozen at zero two, Valeria collapsed into the pool. She tried to drag herself out of the radioactive water, desperately hoping she had disarmed the bomb when her strength failed her.

Valeria tried to open her eyes as she labored for breath, and saw a pair of rag wrapped feet stop in front of her face. The last thing she remembered was the sound of singing as she felt herself being lifted from the ground as she fell into oblivion.


	4. Chapter 4

Valeria's world was darkness shot through with waves of burning heat and white-hot agony. When the pain subsided she could hear whimpering filling the void. Then the pain would hit in a wave, and all she could hear was screaming and the sounds of bones cracking. Sometimes she would hear another voice through the haze of agony.

"Here's a little Brahmin milk dear, drink it down…There we go." For a moment the burning thirst would lesson, usually followed by one of the periods of welcome darkness.

"Mom?" Valeria whimpered. "Just hang in there dear." The voice replied as a dry calloused hand stroked her forehead. "Just keep thinking happy thoughts." Then the pain began to build again. The cycle continued again and again, until Valeria began to desperately hope the next one would kill her. Suddenly, after another wave of agony roared over her, her consciousness splintered like glass and she fell into welcome oblivion.

When Valeria finally opened her eyes she found herself again staring at the lone light bulb in Moira's side room.

"Hey, you're alive!" Moira said. Valeria tried to turn her head but only managed a twitch. Her entire body felt heavy as lead and her muscles were burning and aching as they twitched and spasmed uncontrollably.

"My homemade anti-radiation concoction works great!" Moira exclaimed. "That's the good news. But there was a teeny tiny…mutation. But it seems to be benign…at least."

"What…" Valeria croaked as she closed her eyes and tried to sit up.

"Careful dear, you went through a lot you tough ol survivor."

Valeria squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of dizziness swept over her. She clenched her teeth and felt the jab of her canines, which seemed too big for her mouth. More than the pain, her entire body felt…wrong. Valeria groaned as she moved to a sitting position with Moira's help, and became aware that she was completely naked. Then, fearful of what she would see she opened her eyes and looked down. Valeria froze in shock as she looked at herself, her mind spinning as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing.

Her body was huge. All of her body fat was gone except in her mammary glands. Every muscle in her body had swollen to grotesque size with every tendon, striation and vein standing out under her skin like a road map. Only thin white scars remained of her wounds, as if they had healed for months. Valeria lurched forward and tried to stand. Again Moira helped her, and Valeria staggered as a wave of dizziness came over her. When it passed, she opened her eyes and saw that she towered over Moira, her head just clearing the ceiling.

"Careful." Moira cautioned. "You've been laid up awhile and your center of gravity is all in your upper body now."

"What happened to me?" Valeria gasped.

"Well, after you disarmed the bomb Confessor Cromwell found you and brought you here. I've wanted to study the effects of severe radiation exposure for my book, so I asked the Children of the Atom to bring anyone who had soaked up too much to me for treatment. They spend all their time exposed to radiation, so I thought it was only a matter of time. The problem is they don't want me to treat 'atoms blessing' so none of them will volunteer."

Valeria was starting to feel dizzy again and Moira said. "Uh oh, let's not push things too far, why don't you sit down before you fall down." Valeria sat heavily on the bed as Moira continued.

"The Children of the Atom were pretty excited for you, it's not often a stranger tries to receive "the blessing of Atom" as deliberately as you did."

"They aren't angry that I disarmed the bomb?"

"I don't think they believe that you did." Moira replied. "As far as they know you were just "basking in Atom's glory" or something like that. Oh yes, Sheriff Simms wants to keep it a secret that someone rigged the bomb to explode. He thinks it would scare people if they knew."

"I'm a monster." Valeria moaned as she hid her face in her hands.

"There, there." Moira said as she patted Valeria on her massive shoulder. "It's not so bad, here take a look." Valeria looked up and saw the inventor was holding a small piece of polished metal. In it she could see her reflection, which was largely unchanged. Her eyes and hair were still white, but now there were dark pigmented shadows around her eyes and her open mouth revealed fully developed fangs. Below her face she could also see the massive cords and tendons of her neck as it widened to join her huge shoulders.

"My concoction hadn't been tested yet, and I admit your reaction really caught me by surprise." Moira explained as she set the mirror on the nearby table. "But comparing your earlier blood work shows that a lot of your mutations where actually latent in your genes. All the radiation and environmental stress was starting to activate them, and my radiation treatment pretty much finished the job."

"Now, let's get down to business." Moira said brusquely as she folded her arms. While you were sick, I adapted some armor I had in stock since you're old suit won't fit anymore. Consider it a gift in return for letting me twist your DNA like a kitten with a ball of yarn."

Valeria leaned against the wall as Moira continued. "Now lets see if we can get some food in you. You haven't eaten anything for days, and I'll bet you're really hungry."

As if on cue, Valeria's stomach growled and Moira smiled and nodded. "I'll get you something before the store opens. I had to close up for a while and there's a line down the ramp."

Moira turned to leave then said. "I'll get you your new armor soon, can't have you parading around in your birthday suit. Why don't you lie down some more and I'll be right back."

Valeria did as she was told and stared at the ceiling, tears stinging her eyes. She had been called "freak" often in the Vault, but this was the first time she truly felt like one. She lifted one of her hands and looked at it. She had always had large hands and feet, now they looked in proportion to the rest of her. Her fingernails had also lengthened and now resembled the talons of some beast. Was Moira correct that she had always been turning into this…monster? She closed her hand into a fist and dropped it to the mattress and stared at the ceiling. Now she had to find her father. She could no longer pretend she was just a little different from everyone else. She was clearly a mutant, and always had been.

As she was growing up her father had given her regular physicals and each time he had declared her perfectly healthy and normal. Even when he began to treat her for mild anemia he still insisted that everything was fine. Now Valeria knew that was impossible. Her father had to have known something, something he had kept secret from her. She closed her eyes as anger began to replace her despair. Her father had lied to her, and now she was going to find him wherever he had gone and demand answers.

Valeria stayed in Craterside Supply for several more days recuperating from her ordeal. She was afraid to face Megaton and the condemnation she knew would follow. She had been persecuted in the Vault for her appearance, and she couldn't imagine people's reaction being any better now. It didn't help when Moira brought her the armor she'd assembled.

With Moira's help, it didn't take long for her to put it on. Valeria stood looking down at herself with consternation while Moira nodded with satisfaction.

"It hardly covers anything." Valeria complained. Moira's creation consisted of hammered steel bracers, spiked pauldrons, and greaves that stopped mid-thigh. Aside from leather straps across her breasts and a miniscule steel brief she was completely exposed.

"I had to make some…compromises between protection and freedom of movement." Moira replied while adjusting Valeria's pauldrons. "Only power suits can reliably stop bullets." She explained. "Unpowered armor has to be so thick it would really hinder your movements."

Moira stepped back and nodded. "There, that should do it. Now move a bit, flex your arms."

Valeria stood a moment, then raised her arms and flexed her biceps. Valeria was still astonished at how much they swelled when she exerted herself.

"I'm sorry dear, but you're just too…big for a full suit." Moira said with a smile. "Your muscles expand so much when you move it would be impossible to get you a protective bodysuit that fits."

"I don't see this helping much in a fight."

"Well, most of the important parts are protected, and your muscle density is actually higher than normal It doesn't look it, but your skin is as tough as leather. You also seem to regenerate when exposed to low levels of radiation, kind of like a ghoul."

Noting Valeria's look of alarm, Moira hurriedly added. "This doesn't look like ghoulification, it's something I've never seen before. Exciting isn't it?"

Observing Valeria's reluctance to leave the store, Moira offered her a job as shop security.

"Sometimes people look at all my stuff and get…ideas." Moira said. "You look real intimidating, so all you have to do is stand there and scowl. You also get to ease yourself back into society by meeting Megaton one customer at a time in a controlled environment. Now look threatening!"

Valeria tried to scowl, and Moira nodded thoughtfully. "Not bad, but you need an accessory. Hold on a minute." Moira vanished into her storage room for a few minutes, then returned straining to carry a huge steel hammer.

"Here." She said holding it out to Valeria. "I got this from a scavenger who found it in the wastes." Valeria took the hammer and lifted it effortlessly, testing its heft.

"Perfect." Moira said with a cheerful grin. "Now go stand next to the workbench and we'll get our day started. If you like, I'll post that you're looking for odd jobs. That way you can get some extra caps, and maybe I can get some more research for my book."

Soon Valeria found that word had already gotten around that something strange had happened to the visitor from the Vault. Soon the curious began to arrive as well as those with business. Everyone was clearly startled when they saw her, but with Moira acting as if her presence was perfectly normal the impact was greatly lessened. The best moment was when a little girl walked in.

"Hello Maggie." Moira said cheerfully. "Can I do anything for you today?"

"Nope." Maggie replied brightly. "I just want to meet the Vault lady. Is that her?" Maggie saw Valeria in the corner and her eyes grew wide.

"Wow, you're humongous!" She said in awe as she approached and looked up into Valeria's face. Valeria smiled and Maggie's mouth opened in surprise. "You've got pointy teeth too! Cool!" She turned to Moira and asked excitedly. "Can you experiment on me too?"

"I think Billy might have something to say about that Maggie." Moira replied smiling.

"Awww." Maggie replied. Then she looked back up at Valeria and said. "I gotta go, I'll see you later, okay!" Valeria nodded as the little girl ran out of the store.

The less pleasant moment came when a scarred, sun burnt man entered wearing leather armor and carrying an assault rifle.

"Good morning Jericho, can I help you find anything." Moira said looking up from her sweeping.

"Nah, I'm just here to see the freak show." He spotted Valeria and said. "Would you look at that? Damn you got fucking ugly." He shook his head in distaste. "You were kinda freaky cute at first, but now…fuck!"

Unbidden, a snarl formed on Valeria's lips and Jericho took a step toward her. "You wanna make a move, huh!" He taunted. Valeria's hand closed on the haft of her hammer when Moira interrupted. "Kinda busy here Jericho, but if you need anything?" Jericho glanced at Moira, then back at Valeria.

"Nah, I got what I came for, See you around freak." Jericho strode out of the shop leaving Valeria shaking with suppressed rage. The ferocity of her reaction to Jericho's taunts frightened her. She had been insulted before, but this time only Moira's intervention kept her from attacking the wastelander. It was the first time Valeria hadn't felt in control of her emotions and she didn't know what to think of the implications.

It was near closing time when another customer entered, an attractive young woman with her blond hair tied back from her face. Moira saw her and said. "Oh hey Lucy, can I help you? We'll be closing soon."

"It's okay, I actually want to speak to Valeria about a job?"

"Sure." Moira replied, then turned to the storage door and shouted. "Valeria, could you bring the crate in here?"

Valeria entered with a large metal crate balanced on her shoulder. During the day, she had helped Moira move inventory that the caravans dropped off. They soon found that she could lift over three hundred pounds with no apparent effort, which got her the duty of freight handling.

"Wow." Lucy exclaimed, and then held out her hand. "I'm Lucy West, I was hoping you'd be available for a delivery?" Valeria set the crate down with a heavy thud and took the offered hand. Valeria noticed that Lucy didn't flinch when she shook her hand, and her smile was sincere.

"Sure. What do I need to deliver and where?"

"Great! It's a letter to my brother Ian in Arefu. I haven't gotten any word from him in a while and I'm getting worried."

"I'll leave first thing in the morning if that's okay with Moira." Valeria glanced at Moira who nodded with a smile.

"Oh thank you." Lucy said gratefully. "I'll give you some directions."

Valeria started to enter coördinates into her Pipboy as Lucy described Arefu's location. Valeria had realized during the day that she couldn't hide in Craterside Supply forever. If she were going to find her father, she would have to get the money for Moriarty soon. She also knew she was going to have to face the wasteland again, something she was reluctant to do after the horror of her captivity by the raiders. Somehow her father managed to travel the wastes, she could do no less. Her father had to know what was happening to her, and she was going to find out what if it took the rest of her life.


	5. Chapter 5

Morning dawned overcast and windy over the wasteland. In Craterside Supply Valeria looked dubiously at the pile of gear Moira had laid out for her.

"I know this is only a delivery." Moira explained. "But a lot can happen in the Wasteland and this is a great opportunity for some field testing."

Valeria lifted a metal cylinder and looked quizzically at Moira.

"Oh that's a food sanitizer." Moira explained. "It makes any contaminated food you find um…better."

"Arefu isn't that far Moira." Valeria said as she set the sanitizer down. "If I carry all this gear it defeats the purpose of my armor's mobility, doesn't it?"

"Hmm, okay let's narrow it down." Moira replied as she surveyed her inventory. She lifted a large knife and held it out to Valeria. "This is an American army issue trench knife. This was popular before Power Suits were introduced."

Valeria took the knife and looked at the spiked hand guard and pommel as Moira nodded. "As you can see, that's meant for fighting in close quarters."

Valeria sheathed the weapon and nodded to Moira who smiled and again looked over her inventory. This time she produced a massive revolver and held it out toward Valeria who hesitantly took it.

"That's a .223 caliber revolver, a real cannon." Moira explained. "It fires the same rounds as the Norinco Assault rifle so it's easier to find ammo for it." Moira noted how Valeria's hand fit the grip and added. "It's a big gun, but I think you can handle it."

"I don't know Moira." Valeria said doubtfully. "I've never fired anything but a BB gun in my life."

"Hmm, okay." Moira replied looking around the shop. "Why don't you take a shot at that bottle on the shelf over there." She pointed across the store to a shelf where empty soda bottles and cups were stacked. Valeria looked questioningly at Moira who waved dismissively.

"It's not the first time a gun's been fired in here. Go ahead and lets see what you got." Valeria looked at the bottle, aimed the pistol, and fired. She hardly felt the kick but the roar inside the shop was deafening. Valeria lowered the pistol and saw the bottle still standing, but a cup six inches to the right had vanished. Valeria looked at the pistol, then turned and looked at Moira.

"Okay, it never hurts to have a back-up." Moira said. "What would you like for a primary? Shotgun? Assault Rifle? Mini-gun?"

Valeria turned and looked at the Super Sledge she had been given the day before. Moira followed her gaze and said. "Ooh, that would be good. Doesn't use any ammunition and it works no matter how much you break it." Valeria picked up the sledge and slung it on her back.

"That should do it." Moira said as she finished adjusting Valeria's armor and stepped back to view her handiwork. "Be careful Val, it's a dangerous wasteland out there."

"I will. Thanks for everything Moira."

"Oh it's all for a good cause. Be sure to take detailed notes and try not to die."

After assuring Moira that she would take notes, Valeria set out for the gates of Megaton. There were few people out in the early morning, which suited her. She was still very conscious of her physical changes and preferred not to meet too many people. Finally she stood in the shadow of the gate looking out over the barren hills of the wasteland. Valeria set the compass on her Pipboy then closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the dry dusty air. She then tied a blue bandanna around her head, tightened the harness holding her sledge and started to run.

Valeria didn't expect to run long, but as her long stride carried her over the pitted streets of Springvale she found that she wasn't even winded. Having no wish to meet any surviving raiders at the school, Valeria ran through the ruins instead, leaping over decaying fences and fallen beams. Soon she left Springvale behind and entered the rolling hills south of the Potomac River. The gray masses of ancient buildings dotted the horizon and the shattered remains of freeways loomed over the wastes like petrified remains of prehistoric beasts.

Valeria was both surprised and exhilarated by her stamina as she continued to run across the rugged terrain. It felt almost like she was the only living person on earth, except for the distant echoes of explosions and gunfire to remind her of the dangers all around her. Valeria only slowed to a walk when her Pipboy began to beep, alerting her she was close to her destination.

Breathing deeply Valeria looked at the truncated remains of an overpass, the sign above illegible except for the letters AREFU. Near the base of the road was a pen occupied by four massive Brahmin, their eight mouths searching for tufts of grass in the packed dirt.

Valeria looked up the road and could see shacks and walls of sandbags near the apex of the bridge. Valeria began walking up the road, noticing that ravens were circling overhead in the gray sky, their croaking cries the only sound other than the wind. At the top of the bridge Valeria looked around at the small cluster of closed windowless shacks.

Suddenly she heard the sound of a door slamming from a shack near the absent center of the bridge. The wind moaned as it increased in strength and she heard the door bang again. Putting a hand on her hammer, Valeria walked toward the shack warily looking about for any threats. She found the door to the shack swinging in the wind, the inside dark. Valeria's nostrils flared as she picked up the unmistakable odor of blood, the smell suddenly making her dizzy. Shaking her head, Valeria activated her Pipboy light and stepped into the shack.

Stepping around a steel bunk near the door, Valeria immediately saw the bodies. An older male and female wastelander lay dead near the only other bed. The man was on the floor; the woman lay on her back over the bed. Valeria crouched near the man, and waved a cluster of flies from his face. His eyes were closed and his throat was torn open. The smell of blood was thick in the air, and the buzzing of flies was becoming a drone in her ears as Valeria stared at the gaping wound. Then she looked at the puddle of congealed blood under the corpses' head. A detached part of her mind wondered why there was so little blood for such a massive injury. Then she slowly touched the crimson mass and raised her bloody fingers toward her lips.

"Move and I'll blast you in two!" A voice behind her shouted as the door was kicked open and light exploded into the shack.

"What the hell are you doing!"? Demanded a weather-beaten old man with bandoliers of bullets crossing his jacket. He gestured with his assault rifle for Valeria to stand and swallowed hard when she loomed over him.

"You watch yourself! I've got an itchy trigger finger!"

"My name is Valeria. I was sent to deliver a letter to her Lucy West's brother, Ian."

"You know Lucy?" The old man asked not lowering his weapon.

"The town looked deserted." Valeria explained. "I went to the only open door and found the Wests dead." She nodded toward the bodies on the floor, and the old man followed her gaze.

"Wait a minute!" He demanded. "Where's Ian?" He jabbed the barrel of his rifle toward Valeria, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"I only found the two bodies." Valeria said. "And judging from the blood coagulation and rigor, this happened hours ago."

The old man rubbed the stubble on his chin, exhaustion in his movements. Then he shook his head. "Damn, it must have been that Vance weirdo."

"Vance?" Valeria asked.

"Yeah, a real creepy character who leads a gang called the "Family"." The old man explained. "The keep coming and going and nobody sees or hears 'em." He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I've been keeping Mirelurks away from the Brahmin every night for a week, and somehow the Family still gets past me."

"So you think Ian was taken by Vance and the Family, Mr.…?" Valeria asked quietly with her eyebrows raised.

"King, Evan King." The old man replied. "Shit, who am I kidding? You could have killed me several times already if you had wanted to. I'm so fucking tired I can't see straight." He lowered his rifle as his shoulders slumped. "Shit I can't take the smell in here." King said as he covered his nose and turned to the door. As he left, Valeria hesitated and looked again at the bodies. She had no idea what had come over her, and found the incident deeply troubling. Once outside she found Evan taking a swig from an amber bottle. He sighed then turned to Valeria.

"The shit really hit the fan around here." He said shaking his head. "First the Mirelurks show up and threaten the Brahmin pens at night, then I catch Ian talking to this Vance character down by the river. He seemed polite enough, but he gave me the creeps so I told him to shove off. Ever since him and his people have been stalking us."

"How many live here?" Valeria asked as she surveyed the cluster of silent shacks.

"Now we're down to Ken and Brailee Ewer, and Karen Schenzey. Damn, I can't go looking for Ian. Without someone to keep 'em off, the Mirelurks will kill all the Brahmin."

"I'm here to deliver the letter to Ian." Valeria said. "I can go look for him." King stared hard at her for a minute before he replied.

"I damn near shot you." He said thoughtfully. "But then I saw you have the same white eyes Ian does." He shook his head. "I don't know if I can trust you, but I'm goddamn desperate. Could you find Ian for us?"

"I'll find him." Valeria assured King with a nod. "Do you have any idea where the Family comes from?"

"Not a clue." King replied. "But they come every night so it can't be far away." He gestured to the truncated half of the bridge and said. "Maybe you can try down at the Northwest Seneca station. It's the closest underground, but there's a lot of Mirelurks down there too." He shouldered his rifle and turned toward the shacks. "I'm going to check on the others, although I don't know what I'm going to say about the Wests. Good luck stranger."

The Potomac River was very low, so it wasn't difficult for Valeria to cross it under the shadow of the Arefu overpass. After climbing over the concrete slabs and boulders heaped on the opposite bank, Valeria approached a cluster of abandoned three-story buildings around an old metro entrance. At the entrance Valeria could hear the echo of dripping water from below. Readying her hammer and activating her Pipboy light, Valeria descended into the murky darkness.

At the bottom of the stairs she found a wide hallway piled with rubble from the crumbling ceiling. Off to her right was a doorway next to a blue sign indicating the restrooms. A sickly green glow was coming from the room beyond, as was a slight breeze cold with moisture. Cautiously, Valeria stepped into the room and looked around. The glow was coming from the same strange fungus Valeria had seen under Springvale. The back of the restroom had collapsed into a tunnel from which she could hear water dripping. A glitter at her feet caught her eye and kneeling down she saw the floor was strewn with spent cartridges. Someone had done a lot of shooting, and from the smell of cordite on the brass it was very recent too.

Valeria stood and walked to the collapsed wall. The tunnel beyond dipped sharply to her left, apparently continuing under the murky water that swirled knee-deep in the tunnel. Valeria didn't know what dug the tunnel, but the water seemed to be seeping in from the river somewhere above. Hoping that Moira's assessment of her resistance to radiation was correct, Valeria stepped into the tunnel and started wading to the right where there was room to stand. As she advanced through the darkness, Valeria could hear a rapid clicking sound echoing through the tunnel. She didn't know what was making the sound, but it was getting louder.

Abruptly she came to a junction and found herself facing three tunnels. Looking about for some clue or sign, Valeria spotted white marks on the wall above her head. She looked closer and saw that it was a chalk marked "X". She turned to look for another mark when she realized that the clicking sound had stopped and the tunnels were completely silent.

Suddenly the water erupted in front of her as the domed carapace of a Mirelurk lunged toward her its huge claws gaping wide. Valeria barely managed to block with her hammer when the mutant crab knocked her off her feet. Valeria could see nothing but darkness as muddy water filled her mouth and nose. Desperately, Valeria got her boots against the mutant's armored belly and shoved with all her strength. The Mirelurk was flung on its back with a splash as Valeria scrambled to her feet coughing and gagging.

Wiping muck from her eyes, Valeria saw the Mirelurk churning the water as it flailed to right itself. Valeria lunged forward, adding her momentum to an overhead swing that crunched into the Mirelurk's face. The creature thrashed in silent agony, and Valeria staggered back toward a tunnel marked with another "X". As she splashed up the tunnel, she could hear the clicking again, this time magnified as more Mirelurks closed in.

The tunnel began to climb out of the water when Valeria stumbled and fell. As she tried to get to her feet she froze. An inch from her face a wire was stretched across the tunnel. Looking up Valeria saw a cluster of grenades suspended overhead, almost invisible in the darkness. She got to her feet, stepped over the wire, and then climbed the tunnel as fast as she dared while watching for more traps. She had just reached the top into what looked like a subway tunnel when she heard a snap from behind her. Valeria threw herself flat as an explosion thundered up the tunnel, showering her with dirt and debris.

The clicking had stopped, and Valeria coughed as she got to her feet and looked back into the thick churning smoke filling the tunnel. Wiping her eyes, she turned to continue and found herself staring down the barrel of an assault rifle.

"You're on the Families' Turf." Snapped a young man in a heavy leather jacket crossed with banodiers of bullets. His eyes were stark white under his dark bangs and Valeria could see fangs when as he spoke. "Stand up real slow with your hands in the air or you're dead!"


	6. Chapter 6

Valeria rose slowly to her feet with her hands in the air. The guard had been staring intently and his eyes widened as she stood to her full height.

"I'm looking for the 'Family', I'm not here to make any trouble." Valeria said quietly. The guard's eyes narrowed as he noticed her fangs and he lowered his weapon slightly.

"I can't believe you made it through the Mirelurks. Vance said others of our kind would come, I just didn't expect any from that route."

"Our kind?" Valeria asked as she slowly lowered her hands.

"Vance will explain it to you. I'll take you to him but I'm watching so don't try anything."

The guard turned and began to walk down the dark tunnel and Valeria followed. As they walked around ruined subway cars and piles of debris, Valeria noticed tripwires and mines at regular intervals. Clearly the Family felt the tunnels needed to be heavily defended, and after her experience with the Mirelurks Valeria didn't blame them.

"My name is Valeria." She said, hoping to encourage the young man to speak to her.

"I'm Alan." He replied.

"I'm looking for someone named Ian West. Is he here?"

"You know Ian?" Alan asked as he stopped and looked at her.

"I've been sent to find him."

"Yeah, that was some bad business. Ian's pretty messed up. I don't know what would have happened if Vance hadn't arrived."

"The Family didn't kill his parents?"

"No we didn't, but I think you'd better hear the rest from Vance." Alan turned and again began walking down the tunnel.

"So the Family hasn't been harassing Arefu?"

"Not exactly." Alan replied with an uncomfortable glance over his shoulder. "Karl thinks Arefu needs to know who's in charge and did it against Vance's orders."

"Karl?"

"He's our trader with the outside. He's been with Vance a long time, but I don't think he believes in the Laws of the Family. He's not someone you want to mess with."

They traveled silently through the dark tunnels until Valeria could see the cavernous space of a metro annex lit by lanterns scattered about the station and along the balcony of the upper deck. A plank ramp led out of the tracks to the loading platform, where several wooden tables and benches had been added to the rows of ancient steel benches. There were other people walking about or sitting, and they looked up as they entered the station. All carried rifles and wore thick suits of wastelander gear. Valeria could also see light refelcting from their white eyes.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Drawled a burly man with a white beard and hair. He wore a heavy trader's jacket covered with pockets and had a shotgun slung over his shoulder. Standing behind him was a man almost as tall as Valeria wearing spiked metal armor with a long knife visible at his side. His white eyes were stark against a face burned black by the sun, and set in a permanent sneer that exposed his fangs.

"This is Valeria." Said Alan. "She's the one Vance told us was coming."

"Do I look fucking stupid?" The white-haired man growled. "Of course she's one of us." He looked Valeria up and down as he ran his tongue over his sharp teeth. "It's about time we got someone with some balls in this place! I was starting to think Kane was the only exception in this bunch of crybabies!" Hearing his name the dark warrior bared his teeth in a smile that looked more like a snarl.

"Vance is expecting her Karl." Alan interrupted.

"Well don't let us stop you." Karl replied mockingly. "See you soon…Val."

Valeria watched Karl and his hulking companion stride into the shadows when a voice called out from above on the mezzanine.

"I see our guest has arrived. She may approach and you can return to your post Alan."

Alan nodded then gestured toward the silent escalators. Valeria nodded and began to climb the metal steps as Alan returned to the tunnel.

There was only one person on the mezzanine, a dark-haired man in a long coat with the ornate hilt of a sword visible under it. He smoked as he watched Valeria approach with the same white eyes of the other Meresti inhabitants. He didn't speak until she stood before him.

"Welcome to Meresti. I sensed your presence and anticipated your arrival." He inhaled from his cigarette and continued. "I am Vance, and what brings you to my home?" His eyes stared intently into hers and Valeria suddenly felt stillness as if time was slowing down around her.

"My name is Valeria." She replied. "I'm looking for Ian West."

"Ah yes." Said Vance. "My newest charge. He is in crisis and I have him resting in seclusion."

"Alan said you could explain what happened in Arefu."

"Ian's hunger for flesh overwhelmed him before I could intervene. His parents were already dead when I arrived."

"Ian killed his parents?"

"When the hunger overcomes us, we can do terrible things in our need to satisfy it." Vance explained. "Often we are not aware of our deeds until after we are sated." Vance looked intently into Valeria's eyes. "I sense you have some experience with this." .

Valeria shifted uncomfortably as she recalled the strange trance she entered when she found the Wests. She also remembered Evan King's comment that Ian's eyes looked like hers.

"So you're telling me that Ian is a mutant driven to…eat humans."

"Yes." Vance said with a nod. "Unlike the cannibals and ghouls of the wastes who choose that dark path, we are born with a physical need for such sustenance. However we came to be, I believe we are humanity's natural predator. We are not animals however and can resist what our nature forces us to do." Vance inhaled again from his cigarette then continued. "I am showing my people a way to control the hunger, and to satisfy it by consuming human blood instead of flesh."

"How is that better?"

"Although repugnant, the act of drinking blood is not as foul as consuming flesh. That and our laws enable us to survive in a world united only in their hatred of us."

"Alan mentioned your laws when he brought me here."

"There are five. I won't recite them to you at this time. Suffice to say that they give structure and dignity for a people condemned to commit acts considered heinous by others."

"The blood you consume has to be human?"

"Yes, and unless we wish to become crazed beasts we have to supplement our diet with occasional infusions of it. The grim reality of our existence is that there are no 'volunteers', and we have to take it by force. We also subsist on bloodpacks scavenged from the ruins, but they are rare and difficult to find. We have had to search farther and farther afield which exposes my flock to inevitable reprisals."

"Maybe there is a solution." Valeria said slowly. "Arefu is vulnerable to attack and won't survive much longer. What if you offer them protection in return for all the bloodpacks they can secure for you?"

"Interesting." Vance replied after a thoughtful pause. "My people aren't welcome in Arefu, especially after Karl's ill-advised actions. If you are offering your services as ambassador, I am willing to consider such an arrangement."

"Vance!" A woman with short blond hair interrupted as she climbed to the top of the stairs.

"What is it Holly?" Vance replied calmly, breaking eye contact with Valeria for the first time since she approached him. Valeria shook her head in confusion as she suddenly became aware of the groaning darkness of the metro and she murmur of a crowd from below the Mezzanine.

"We have trouble Vance. It's Karl."

"I'm calling you out Vance!" Shouted Karl's voice from below. Vance stepped calmly to the concrete railing and looked down on the vampires gathered below.

"What is it you wish Karl?" Vance said, his voice echoing about the suddenly silent chamber.

"I 'wish' you to step down Vance!" Karl shouted. "You've led us to a Mirelurk infested shithole just to hide from the fucking locals!" Karl turned to the others standing around him. "What the hell do we owe them? You all know what happens when they get sight of us!" He turned to look up at Vance. "We've got the muscle to show everyone who's in charge around here, and you have us hiding and starving in this pit!"

"Is that a challenge Karl?" Vance asked with ice creeping into his voice.

"You fucking know it is!" Karl shouted. "Now I'll play this by your rules, so I'm asking for a champion." He turned with a knowing smirk and said "Any volunteers?"

"I'll do it." Kane growled with a savage grin.

"Your turn Vance." Karl said turning back to the Mezzanine. "Either you or someone else steps up, or you step down."

Vance looked over the small crowd, seeing doubt and fear on their faces as they looked at each other.

"The bastard timed this so Alan wouldn't be here." Holly whispered. "Nobody else has a chance against Kane." She turned to Vance and whispered urgently. "Please darling, don't do this. If Karl takes over the Family is finished. Just give the order and they'll be dead before they can leave the platform."

"No Holly." Vance replied firmly. "I did not create our laws lightly. To dismiss them when convenient will destroy us just as surely. I will face Kane."

"Kane's a monster!" Holly choked as she held Vance's face in her hands. "He'll kill you!"

"Have faith Holly." Vance said with a small smile as he gently stroked his wife's cheek with the back of his hand. "I will not condemn any of my flock to certain death if there is any way I can prevent it."

"What's it going to be Vance?" Karl shouted. Vance gently pulled away from his wife, than looked back at Valeria. In the moment their eyes locked, Valeria again lost all sense of time and place.

"I'll fight for you." Valeria heard her voice say as if from a great distance. Suddenly Valeria was back in Meresti, shocked at her own words.

"You are not of the Family, but you are of our kind." Vance said loudly enough to be throughout the chamber. "You have the right to accept the challenge in my stead."

"I…" Was all Valeria managed to say before again looking into Vance's eyes. Suddenly a feeling of peace and resolve filled her. Vance had to survive for the good of Meresti and Arefu; she knew this with absolute clarity.

"I accept the challenge!" Valeria declared as she stepped to the railing next to Vance. Karl scowled, but Kane only sneered, his eyes narrowing to slits.

"What are the rules?" Valeria asked, as she watched Kane stride to the plank floor under the mezzanine.

"Once the challenge is accepted, then one or both champions must die." Vance replied. "Only hand-to-hand weapons are permitted. Any attempt to gain advantage with a weapon or interference from others will result in their death on my order."

Valeria saw the other Meresti inhabitants waiting with their rifles as she walked to the escalator. Her sense of calm resolve faded as she descended the stairs, replaced by apprehension. She had no idea what had come over her. She knew she looked impressive, but her hand-to-hand experience was limited to her desperate flight from Vault 101. As she reached the floor the ring of Meresti inhabitants parted to allow her to approach where Kane was waiting with a long vicious looking blade coated with dark stains and rust. He bared his fangs and hissed as Valeria drew her trench knife, and appraised her chances. Kane was huge, almost eye-to eye with her, and heavily armored. The knife he wielded was longer giving him the advantage of reach. The casual ease with which he held it showed that he was experienced in its use, something Valeria also wasn't. With a knot of fear in the pit of her stomach, Valeria hoped that her strength and agility would be enough.

"As our laws state." Vance said from above. "Only one can leave this chamber alive. On my command the trial shall begin." There was a long pause as Valeria dropped into a crouch, snarling to cover her fear as Kane spread his arms and inhaled deeply.

"Now!" Vance shouted and Valeria leaped forward. Caught by surprise, Kane managed to parry her knife and smashed his left fist into the side of her head. Lights exploded across her vision as Valeria staggered, then leaped backwards as his blade gashed her abdomen. Valeria tumbled into a crouch, blood running down her face and torso.

Kane grinned as he deliberately licked her blood off his knife. Shaking her head to clear her eyes, Valeria realized Kane was a sadist who wanted to feel her fear as well as kill her. Kane knew from their first clash that he faced a novice with a blade, and now he intended to take his time. Whirling his blade in his hand, he began to advance, grinning as he taunted her with his exposed torso. Rage seethed in Valeria's mind as she saw the trap. With a flash of insight, Valeria realized that her only chance was to do the unexpected.

With a shriek, Valeria stood and flung her knife at Kane's head. He slashed it away with a clang, and in the second his blade was clear of his body, Valeria tackled him. Kane went down on his back as Valeria seized his knife hand and smashed it against the floor. His knife skidded away as with a growl he sank his teeth into Valeria's bicep. She screamed and smashed her armored forearm into his head, tearing him free in a shower of blood.

Snarling, his white eyes glaring against a mask of blood, Kane spit out a chunk of her arm and scrambled for his knife. Her arm burning with pain, Valeria howled as she felt her mind wash away in a red tide of rage. Kane reached his knife, and whirled only to go down again as Valeria smashed into him. His blade rammed into Valeria's side as she sank her teeth into his throat. Her eyes blazing with berserk fury, Valeria bit down as Kane thrashed and kicked, then went still, blood pouring from his gaping mouth.

Nobody moved, as they stood stunned by the savagery of the spectacle, their guns pointing forgotten at the floor. Finally, Valeria stood from Kane's corpse, gagging and heaving for breath. She staggered as she closed her hand around the hilt of Kane's knife and with a shriek pulled it out with a shower of blood. The rage was gone leaving the overwhelming agony of her wounds.

"Your champion is dead Karl." Vance said as he reached the bottom of the escalator. "By our laws this matter is closed, unless you care to contest me further?" Karl looked from the body of Kane and at the silent crowd. Realizing his moment was gone he turned back to Vance.

"All right damn it, you win." He growled, then turned and strode toward the mezzanine. Vance turned and faced Valeria, who was standing glassy-eyed and shaking. He approached her and held out a thick plastic bag filled with dark red liquid.

"Drink of the blood." He said as Valeria slowly took it. Vance's eyes locked with hers as his voice echoed in her mind. "Feel its warmth spread through you as you become one with the essence of another." Valeria closed her eyes drained the bag, blood running down her chin.

"Once you have done this deed, you will have learned our way, the way of the Vampire."

Valeria dropped the empty bag and stared blankly into Vance's eyes before collapsing to the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

Red huddled in the corner of her cell, trying to be invisible as her Supermutant jailer dragged its rifle barrel across the bars.

"Little human…too puny…too weak…for the green stuff. Only good…for eating!" The giant green mutant barked with laughter as it saw Red flinch and cover her head with her arms.

Red hadn't been alone in the old jail. There had been others unfortunates captured from Big Town. Pappy, Shorty, Kimba, Bittercup, all were taken with her when the mutants attacked. Dusty, Flash, and Timebomb were killed in the battle, and Red now considered them the fortunate ones. She and the others had been carried to the ruined police station now used as a fortress by the mutants. One by one the captives had been drug out of their cells to what the mutants called "the kitchen." Now only Red remained, and she was numb with horror as she waited for her turn.

"You won't…be locked up…much longer….Little human!" The mutant growled, straining with each word. Its yellow teeth bared in a permanent sneer as its red eyes peered at her from under its heavy brows. Red fought to keep from sobbing, hoping silence would bore the mutant and make it leave.

"Unnnh, who's there?" The mutant growled as it swung its head toward the empty doorway. It lifted its heavy machinegun and stumped toward the door, ducking to look out into the dark hallway beyond.

"Found you!" The Supermutant bellowed as it stepped forward, then howled with pain and rage. There was an explosive crack and the mutant fell silent. Red looked up from her arms, peering through her filthy glasses at the door of her cell. She could make out a shadowy figure almost as big as a Supermutant standing before the cell. Red's eyes widened with terror and she pushed herself as far into the corner as she could. Then she heard a key rattling in the lock and with a rusty screech the door slid open.

"Are you okay?" A woman's voice asked with a tone of genuine concern. Red lifted her head in astonishment and saw a towering woman whose armor barely covered her hugely muscled body.

"Y…yes." Red stammered. "Who…who are you?"

"Valeria, I'm going to get you out of here. Are there any other prisoners?"

"No." Red replied with a catch in her voice. "I'm all that's left."

"We need to leave now." Valeria said, extending a huge hand toward Red to help her up.

"You're wounded!" Red exclaimed as she saw blood covering Valeria's side.

"It looks worse than it is." Valeria said with a small smile.

Valeria crouched in the doorway and looked up the hallway. Red crouched behind her and saw the massive corpse of her jailer, its head crushed and the walls splattered with blood. She looked at the huge steel hammer Valeria was carrying and doubted she could even lift it.

"I'm Red." She whispered crowding as close to Valeria as she dared. "How did you find me?"

"Evan King in Arefu asked me to stop by Big Town to check on things. He was wondering why he hadn't heard from you. I found Timebomb under the bridge into town and he told me where the Supermutants had taken everyone."

"Timebomb!" Red exclaimed. "I thought the mutants killed him!"

"I'm sorry Red. He was dying when I found him."

"Oh." Was all Red could say as Valeria led them down a dark hallway to a steel reinforced door.

Valeria had surprised everyone in Meresti with the speed of her recovery. Vance offered her a place in his "flock", but Valeria refused, being careful not to meet his eyes. She was wary of Vance's hypnotic influence, and deeply mistrusted him after using her as a weapon against Karl.

She delivered Lucy's letter to Ian and offered to lead him back to Arefu. The young man had looked at her with haunted eyes and shook his head. He explained that until he could learn to control the hunger, he was too dangerous to be around people he cared about. Valeria couldn't argue, especially after her experience in the battle with Kane. She was shown another entrance at an abandoned train yard and she had returned to Arefu with Vance's offer of an alliance. Just as she had turned to leave, Evan asked her for a favor.

"Where are all the mutants?" Red whispered.

Valeria was wondering the same thing as she put her shoulder to the door and forced it open. She had found the ruins of Germantown and the police station easily enough. In addition to being the only building not gutted, it was surrounded by a palisade of steel girders protruding from the ground like fangs with human skeletons impaled upon it. Valeria had warily entered the station through a collapsed wall, but found no mutants until she entered the jail on the ground floor.

Valeria helped Red through a gap in the fence as thunder rumbled and rain began to fall from the gray sky. Valeria was daring to hope their luck would hold when she heard a roar from the ruins behind the station.

"Mutants!" Red cried as six hulking shapes lumbered out of a ruin, their weapons firing as they bellowed and laughed.

"Run!" Valeria shouted, shoving Red before her as bullets screamed about them. The mutants fired wildly as they ran after Valeria and Red, moving with astonishing speed for their massive size.

Valeria saw Red stumble on the slick rubble and seized her arm before she fell. She risked a look back and saw the mutants were almost upon them.

"Run!" Valeria shouted into Red's terrified face before turning and hurling herself at their pursuers. Red gasped in horror as her rescuer charged into certain death, then turned and ran into the storm as fast as she could.

Wild-eyed, Valeria screamed and whirled as her hammer shattered armor and bone while the mutants shot each other in their attempts to hit her. Three mutants were down when the stock of a rifle smashed into the back of Valeria's head. Before she could get back to her feet, a mutant roared and swung its empty rifle over its head and smashed it over Valeria's back.

"I'll eat your arms before you're dead!" The mutant bellowed as it raised its rifle for another blow. Suddenly a continuous thunder of gunfire filled the air slugs scythed through the surviving mutants. Even their inhuman resilience couldn't withstand the onslaught and they all reeled back before toppling to the ground.

Valeria gritted her teeth and staggered to her feet, blood running into her eyes. Out of the sheeting rain she saw a man emerge wearing leather armor covered with hammered steel plates and carrying a huge machine gun, it's smoking barrels still whirling. He aimed at Valeria and with a grin tightened his grip on the firing lever.

"Hold your fire Gunner!" Snapped a huge man who emerged from the gloom along with other heavily armed figures. He was also wearing metal armor but carried a super sledge as large as Valeria's.

"This one's different." He said with a wolfish grin on his bearded lips. Valeria snarled and raised her hammer in defiance, but she was dizzy and wracked with pain and knew she had no chance against the force now confronting her.

"F*** Ymir!" A lightly armored woman armed with a shotgun and her red hair tied into spikes exclaimed. "This freak's dead. Eulogy said to waste any Supermutants we found!"

"Eulogy ain't here." Ymir rumbled. "And I think this one's interesting." He advanced toward Valeria who stepped back and blinked hard trying to clear her eyes.

"This one's got spirit. I like that." He added licking his lips.

Valeria shrieked and smashed her hammer at Ymir who easily dodged the blow, then before she could recover drove the pommel of his hammer into her face. Valeria didn't feel herself hitting the ground, and as she tried to fight through the pain and get to her feet she could hear Ymir laughing.

"This one's going to be fun!" Then Valeria's head exploded with agony and the world went black.

Eulogy Jones was not in a good mood, but he hid his displeasure behind an easy smile. Eulogy had a good thing going, and he hated anything that threatened his place as the slave lord of Paradise Falls. The previous Lord had been a cannibalistic maniac named Harmon Jurley. In those days Eulogy had been in charge of the slaver's prostitution ring. It was his job to recruit 'talent', break them then train them for their new profession. Harmon was a fearsome killer, but a hopeless businessman, leaving the details of running the operation to Eulogy.

For several years Eulogy Jones played the role of the loyal second in command, all the while shifting loyalties to himself and undermining Harmon Jurley. When Eulogy felt the time was right to take over, Harmon's hulking bodyguards Ymir and his dimwitted son Jotun stood aside and let Eulogy have a clear shot. Once established as the new Slave Lord, Eulogy began expanding the operation, looking for new markets and sources of "merchandise".

It was during that time that he made contact with advance scouts from a kingdom created in the ruins of old Pittsburgh. Now referred to as the Pitt, the place was a sinkhole of despair and misery ruled by a warlord named Ashur. Ashur had big ambitions, which gave the Pitt an insatiable demand for slaves, giving Eulogy both a steady stream of caps and his biggest headaches. Demand simply exceeded supply, and the slavers had already taken all the low hanging fruit, leaving the communities that were better defended and thus more costly. To make matters worse, Supermutant raiding parties were starting to appear, creating competition that was forcing Eulogy to send out death squads instead of devoting all his resources to procurement.

He had decided that Big Town was ripe for the plucking and had sent his enforcers only to find the Supermutants had been there first. The mutants were wiped out but the raiders had returned empty-handed except for a huge mutant. It remained to be seen if the freak had enough potential to turn a profit. She was inhumanly resilient and the process of breaking her was proving slow and costly. A few nights earlier, several of his personnel got liquored up and decided to form a rape gang and pay a visit to their new guest. The first slaver to try forcing himself on her died with her teeth in his throat. Eulogy decided the incident was an effective lesson to enforce discipline, and ordered the mutant beaten and thrown into the "box" to teach the other slaves what the price of defiance was.

Then a small group of slavers arrived unannounced from the Pitt, led by none other than Wernher, Ashur's right hand man. Eulogy knew Ashur was getting impatient with the supply of slaves, but to send Wernher on the long journey to the Capital Wasteland meant that his patience had run out.

"Ashur's increasing production in the Pitt." Wernher said, glaring at Eulogy with his one eye. "So you had better have made this trip worthwhile."

Eulogy smiled in reply, but his eyes were cold as he looked down at Wernher. Eulogy was wearing his customary red suit decorated with gold chains and jewelry, a striking contrast to Wernher's unadorned leather vest, pants and combat boots.

"I am certain you will find our stock acceptable, if you will follow me." Eulogy gestured toward the slave pens under the shadow of a huge decaying statue of a boy holding an ice cream cone. Wernher stopped to light a cigarette, deliberately making Eulogy wait as he exhaled a cloud of smoke and nodded to the slave lord and his two scowling bodyguards. The two women were shown by the heavy explosive collars they wore to be slaves. Both wore pink spring dresses and high-heeled shoes, and both carried Chinese long swords. The one named Clover had white hair combed over one eye; the one called Crimson had her dark hair twisted into horns. Wernher ignored their glares as he followed Eulogy to the Pens.

"We have four slaves currently." Eulogy said as they entered the pens. "The Supermutants raided several communities before my men drove them off."

"I don't give a s***." Wernher replied. "Ashur's quota was twice that, and he's had enough of you coming up short. You'd better come up with something that impresses the hell out of me pretty quick."

Eulogy glared at Wernher with thinly concealed rage as the raider calmly smoked and looked at a pen nearby with a lone occupant.

"What the f*** is this?" Wernher demanded as he regarded a huge female slave wearing only an explosive collar and kneeling with her clawed hands bound before her.

"This is our most recent acquisition." Eulogy explained with a scowl. "My men found her fighting a gang of Supermutants."

"Tied up and wearing a collar?" Wernher asked as the slave glared at him through her tangled white bangs.

"The breaking process has been slow with this one. She's already killed one of my men and we've had to take extra security measures."

"Is that why you stripped her?"

"Of course. Part of the process is to teach her she is completely in my power. I can do whatever I want when I want."

"But not with this one." Wernher observed with a smirk. The slave continued to glare at him, her white eyes steady and unblinking. "How much for her?"

"She isn't for sale."

"Bulls***! Ashur needs slaves, and if you want to keep getting caps you better give me what I ask for."

"One-thousand caps." Eulogy finally said, smoking to cover his anger.

"I'll give you five-hundred and call your quota filled." Wernher replied not looking away from the strange mutant.

"Done." Eulogy said with a curt nod.

"Nice doing business with you." Wernher replied as he ground the butt of his cigarette out with his boot and looked thoughtfully at his new slave.


	8. Chapter 8

Valeria crouched in the darkness of her cell, listening to the coarse laughter and gunfire from the carousing slavers. Now that she belonged to Wernher, she had little fear that any slavers would pay her a nocturnal visit, not that there had been any since the first night. Valeria closed her eyes and shuddered as she remembered what happened.

Four slavers, reeking of alcohol and sweat had entered her cell and shoved her on her back. She knew what was about to happen, and with her hands bound and an explosive collar on her neck, there was nothing she could do to stop it. A slaver grabbed her hands and yanked her arms above her head while two more seized her knees and pulled her legs apart. The fourth slaver removed his skull-faced codpiece, his teeth glittering in the dim light. Valeria had begun to tremble, but not in terror as the slavers assumed, but in the grip of a berserk rage that was drowning her fear in a red tide of fury.

Valeria lay still as the slaver threw himself on top of her, slobbering down her neck with his hot breath burning her skin. In that moment, Valeria let the hunger take her and with an inhuman growl sank her teeth into the slaver's neck. Hot blood poured down her throat as she bit down and shook her head like a beast as she tore her hands free. Cursing and shouting, the remaining slavers fled the pen, leaving the twitching corpse of the fourth raider still sprawled across Valeria. She flung the body aside and shrieked at the remaining slavers with her eyes blazing through a mask of blood.

Swearing they grabbed their weapons and prepared to shoot her through the gate when Eulogy Jones arrived flanked by his hulking enforcers Ymir and Jotun. When Ymir heard what had happened he howled with laughter until Eulogy ordered him to show the other slaves the price of defiance. Still chuckling, Ymir led Jotun through the gate and advanced on Valeria. Naked and with her hands bound, Valeria was unable to stop the two armored thugs from smashing her to the ground with the hafts of their weapons. She was barely conscious when they dragged her to the steel Pulowski shelter outside the pens and shoved her in. The coin-operated devices were meant to shield a lone occupant from an atomic attack, but this one was now used as a hotbox to punish or execute slaves. She lay in the suffocating darkness for two days before the slavers opened the door and allowed her to emerged blinking and staggering into the harsh sunlight.

"According to what I hear, you're made of tough stuff." Wernher said from the shadows as the glow of a match behind his cupped hand lit his face. Valeria silently watched him smoke for a moment before he spoke again.

"What's your name?" Valeria stared caught by surprise.

"It doesn't matter." Wernher replied with a shrug. "I'll just call you whatever I want."

"Valeria." She said, her voice hoarse from disuse.

"There, you can talk." Wernher said nodding. "I thought you might be smarter than you looked."

Wernher inhaled deeply before speaking through a cloud of smoke. "Since you're smart and I'm in a talking mood, I imagine there are some questions you want to ask."

"Where is the Pitt?"

"It's up north." Wernher replied. "It's what's left of old Pittsburgh."

"What's going to be done with us?"

"You're going to work the mill. When the bombs fell, Pittsburgh didn't get a direct hit. It didn't matter much; all the rivers through there are radioactive as hell. It's possible the Chinese dropped some kind of bio agent. There's an epidemic in the Pitt from a virus we call the Troglodyte Degeneration Contagion. Nasty number that slowly kills you if you're lucky, or turns you into a Trog if you aren't." Wernher paused for Valeria's reaction, and then shrugged when none was forthcoming.

"For years only scavengers, raiders and Trogs lived in the Pitt. Then about twenty years ago an army from out west called the Brotherhood of Steel showed up. They killed everybody that put up a fight and left. That was about the time Asher appeared. He stepped into the power vacuum the Brotherhood left and carved out his own kingdom."

Wernher looked into the distance for a moment as he smoked, then he looked back at Valeria. "The Pitt has the only working steel mill left in the east, hell maybe left in America. Asher is using it as his economic base to build an empire."

"And the mill needs workers."

"A lot of them." Wernher replied nodding. "With the disease running rampant, we don't get a lot of volunteers, so we use slaves from the surrounding area or imported from the Capital Wasteland. We do a lot of business with Eulogy Jones, but lately his quotas have fallen short." Wernher tossed the remnants of his cigarette away and turned to leave.

"From what I've seen so far I got a bargain with you."

The next day the small caravan set out along the ancient freeway toward the rugged hills of the northern wastes. The slaves trudged silently under the weight of their packs, escorted by heavily armed Pitt raiders wearing expressionless gas mask helmets. A full moon was starting to rise against a deep purple sky when they finally came to an abandoned railway tunnel with a fenced in enclosure and decaying rail cars. Valeria was herded with the other slaves into the pen while the raiders set up camp in a railcar. The slaves collapsed exhausted to the ground while Valeria sat against a fencepost and silently watched the flickering flames of a barrel the raiders lit outside their camp.

The sun was just beginning to rise when the slaves were driven to their feet and led to the tunnel where an ancient hand-car waited on the rails. The raiders loaded the packs on the car, than began to move two of the slaves forward when Wernher stopped them. He drew a knife and began cutting the ropes binding Valeria's wrists.

"You know what that collar will do if you try anything." Wernher said as he cut the last rope. "Let's see if those arms of yours are just for show." Turning to his men he ordered. "Get her on the car and let's get going!"

Valeria did as she was told and seized the crossbar of the gear lever. With a push the car lurched into motion, and she began to work the lever up and down as the car rolled down the track.

"Hop on boys." Wernher ordered cheerfully. "Let's see what the freak's made of!"

Valeria gritted her teeth as she felt the added weight of the guards and the slaves added to the car. Wernher was the last to board, smiling as he sat cross-legged on the front. The car rattled down the dark tunnel with Valeria worked the lever as tirelessly as a machine. Eventually the darkness of the underground gave way to the bleak vista of the wastes, the dry hills dotted with skeletal trees and the gutted shells of buildings.

Wernher was clearly testing Valeria's limits, and he didn't call a halt until the sun was high in the gray sky. The slavers removed their helmets to eat a quick meal of Brahmin jerky and whiskey shared from a bottle. The slaves got a meager ration of molerat jerky and water, which they ate as they sat on the car. Valeria sat on the back, silently chewing her ration as she stared in the distance at the DC ruins. Fate seemed to have decreed that she was never going to find her father as she pushed the cart further and further away from the capital wasteland.

Several more days passed with Valeria pushing the cart through dark tunnels and past desolate scenes of destruction and decay. Aside from the rumble of the wheels on the track and the steady squeaking of the lever, the journey had been mostly silent as Wernher and his men watched the wasteland. Valeria felt the hunger beginning to gnaw at her, and no amount of jerky would satiate it. Valeria was beginning to worry that it would overwhelm her if she didn't find some way to feed soon.

They were passing through the ruins of Monroeville when they found the rails ahead bent and twisted. It was overcast and darkness was falling quickly. Wernher and the guards had been more alert then usual and Wernher swore when he saw the damage. He ordered the slaves off the cart and had them start clearing the debris using tools from the hand car. Wernher and the other guards stared into the gathering darkness with their weapons drawn as the slaves worked feverishly. Valeria took a heavy pry bar and did most of the work removing the damaged rails. She then began to loosen the rails behind the car to replace the ones in front. With her great strength it was clear that she was the most effective at raising the steel tracks.

The last rail had been pried out of the packed earth and was being carried forward when Valeria saw movement in the shadows around them.

"Shit, Trogs!" One of the raiders swore as he fired his rifle. The slaves ran for the cart as muzzle flashes illuminated vaguely human forms with gaping fanged mouths scrambling toward them on all fours.

One of the slaves shrieked in pain and terror as a trog knocked him to the ground. Blood flew as the trog beat and tore at him until Valeria leaped forward and crushed the trog's skull with the pry bar. Before she could help the fallen slave another trog leaped at her and Valeria impaled it on the iron and flung it aside. The Trog thrashed and kicked as it clawed the bar transfixing it while two more leaped at her. One lunged at her waist and took her heel in the face. It fell choking with a shattered jaw while another slammed into Valeria's chest, knocking her to the ground. She snarled as she held the trog's gnashing teeth from her face, than with a savage wrench crushed its neck. Blood erupted from the creature's mouth as she shoved its body away and faced the gleaming red eyes of the swarm of trogs crawling toward her.

Suddenly the roar of a magnum drove the trogs back hissing and shrieking.

"Get on the fucking truck!" Wernher snapped as he fired at the fleeing trogs. Valeria stood and glanced down at the corpse of the slave she had tried to save. His eyes were staring and his bearded mouth gaped in a frozen expression of terror. Valeria never knew his name, and now he was dead. She climbed on the truck and seized the lever in her blood-smeared hands as the slaves crowded away from her and the raiders continued to fire into the shadows.

The hand truck lurched and rattled over the crudely repaired track as Wernher leaped on.

"Next stop the Pitt!"

"Ok scabs listen up!" Shouted Kutter, the guard's voice distorted by the filtration helmet he was wearing. "We need a volunteer to get more ingots for the mill!"

The slaves toiling in the pit all stopped their work and stood silently as the guard walked down the slope toward them. A tall bearded slave stood and looked calmly at Kutter.

"I'll do it." He said.

"Going again Bill?" Kutter sneered. "You got a death wish or something?"

"Bill, no!" Said Milly, her lesion scarred face fearful as she grasped his arm.

"I have to Milly." He said quietly as he looked into her eyes. "I've got the best chance of coming back, you know that." He quickly kissed her forehead then turned to the giant woman standing behind them.

"Take care of Milly while I'm gone, ok Val?" Valeria nodded, her face somber as Bill turned back to face Kutter.

"All right scabs, back to work!" He shouted as stepped behind Bill and followed him out of the pit. Milly stood still, trying not to cry. Such a sign of weakness was sure to attract the sadistic attention of the guards, but she still trembled as she saw Bill stride brave and tall into the smoky murk. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to look up into Valeria's strange eyes.

Valeria had joined their breaker crew recently. Time was difficult to judge under the sulfurous cloud that choked the light out of the Pitt. The huge woman was immediately issued an auto axe and put to work cutting up steel girders and wrecked vehicles that pulled from the ruins. She worked tirelessly and proved invaluable for moving rubble and hauling what their crew could scavenge.

"It will be okay Milly." Valeria said.

"I have a bad feeling Val." Milly said with a catch in her voice.

"If anyone can survive in the yard Milly, he can." Valeria looked up at the guards who were starting to notice her conversation. With a quick squeeze on Milly's shoulder, Valeria turned back toward the derelict car she was working on, pulling the starting cord on her axe. Milly picked up her shovel as she watched Valeria leave, remembering where she got the armor scraps she was wearing.

Wild Bill looked out for everyone in his crew as best he could, but he was especially protective toward Milly. One day one of the guards, a particularly vicious woman named Torch, managed to corner Milly alone in the ruins. Before she could cry out, Torch hit her in the stomach, driving her to her choking to her knees. With a grin twisted by the burn scar covering half of her face, Torch pulled out a kitchen knife and grabbed Milly by her hair. Suddenly, the raider gagged and dropped Milly, who managed to look up to see Torch suspended in the air. Valeria's massive arm was locked around the struggling raider's neck. Torch tried to stab Valeria who caught her wrist with her other hand. Milly heard the crack of bones breaking as Torch dropped the knife. Then she saw the huge muscles on Valeria's other arm tense, and with a crunch the Raider went limp, her sightless eyes bulging as blood oozed from her mouth.

Wild Bill arrived only seconds later. He held Milly tightly for a moment, and then turned to Valeria who was silently watching.

"Thanks Val." Was all he said. Then he busied himself stripping Torch's body. Valeria took the pieces of armor that she could fit to her huge body and strapped them on. Bill looked at her as he helped Milly to her feet.

"I don't know if the bosses will let you keep that." Bill said. "If anyone asks, tell them you found it on deep recovery." Deep recovery was the most dangerous thing the breakers did. It involved navigating the treacherous ruins out beyond the searchlights that kept the trogs at bay. Slaves that took on especially dangerous tasks were sometimes allowed latitude in the gear they used. In the end, productivity was everything to Asher and that fact slightly curbed the cruelty of the guards. They covered Torch's body just enough to hide it from discovery by the guards, and left her for the trogs.

Several days passed each the same as the others. The slaves would stumble from their filthy pallets to the pits where they worked beyond exhaustion feeding the roaring blast furnaces. The routine was only broken by break time where they were allowed to get their ration of slop, a rancid stew made of trog meat boiled in filthy water. Each day Milly would watch the edge of the pit, hoping to see Bill's tall form returning once again from the yard. Each night she would collapse exhausted on her pallet, choking back tears.

Milly knew what the other slaves were whispering about Bill. He had earned the nickname Wild Bill for his ability to survive in the trog-infested hell of the steelyard. Each time he volunteered, he would return carrying a quota of the precious pre-war steel ingots. He had become almost a legend with the slaves, a hero in a place where there were none. Only Milly and the other breakers knew how heroic he truly was. Only they knew that he cheated death again and again so they wouldn't have to. He had even ordered Valeria not to volunteer when he saw the look in her eyes after he explained the steelyard to her.

She was again shoveling an endless pile of scrap into the furnace when she saw Kutter approach the edge of the pit through the smoky haze. For a moment hope surged within her, then she saw that he was alone. Sick with dread, she watched as he stood at the edge of the pit.

"We need a volunteer for a steel run!" He shouted. "You got ten seconds before I pick someone!"

Milly felt her world drop out from under her. It was impossible! Bill couldn't be dead. He had to be lost somewhere in the yard, hurt or trapped.

"I'll go." Valeria said as she stepped forward next to Milly.

"So the freak wants to be a hero." Kutter sneered. "Better have said your goodbyes." Kutter laughed as Valeria gently took Milly's shoulder and turned her to look into her eyes.

"I'll find him Milly, I promise." Valeria said, then she turned and began to walk up out of the pit. The other slaves stopped their work for a moment to watch Valeria stride into the darkness. As soon as they were out of sight, they immediately bent back to their labor. The only thing valued in the Pitt was labor, and if a slave wouldn't or couldn't work, death was certain to follow. No longer caring if the guards saw or not, Milly silently wept as once again she numbly pushed her shovel into the pile.


	9. Chapter 9

When Valeria stepped through the door to the mill, the heat and roar of the furnaces hit her like a blow. The air reeked of sulfur and molten steel as near naked slaves fed coal and scrap metal into the blazing maws of the smelters. The cavernous interior was hellishly lit by molten metal and showers of sparks from the massive kettles suspended far above the floor.

Blinking in the glare, Valeria shielded her eyes until Kutter shoved her with the stock of his rifle. As they descended to the factory floor some slaves looked up as they passed, their faces hidden behind welding masks. Down on the floor the reek of unwashed bodies added to the stifling miasma of odors as they moved deeper into the mill and passed a pit covered by a dome of pipes and wire.

"We ain't seen a good fight in the Hole for months." Cutter sneered. "If you survive the yard maybe you can volunteer!" He laughed and again shoved her with his weapon. Soon Kutter directed Valeria up a short staircase, and then banged the butt of his rifle against a steel door.

"What the fuck!" Exclaimed a voice as the door opened to show a pock-marked old man in overseer coveralls with a rifle over his shoulder.

"We got fresh meat for the yard Everett." Kutter replied turning and shoving Valeria toward the door. "Move it bitch, I ain't got all day!" As soon as Valeria entered Kutter stepped back and kicked the door shut behind her.

"Fresh meat is right!" Everett said with leer. "You must be the freak I've been hearing about. Think you can do better than old Bill?" Valeria stared at him until Everett's sneer faltered and he looked away.

"Follow me." He growled as he turned and walked down a dim hallway. Valeria followed into a crude office furnished with junk. Everett led her through another door to a chain link tunnel suspended over the factory floor.

"Hey why don't you do me a favor and get yourself killed near the door so I don't have to go far to get your corpse." Everett laughed as he led Valeria through the twisting tunnel.

"There've been shots heard in the yard. I'm betting Wildmen have set up shop out there. Should be lots of fun for you scab."

Valeria remained silent but felt hope of finding Bill alive dwindling. One of the early signs of TDC was madness as the virus ravaged the victim's brain. The slavers would refer to such unfortunates as 'wildmen' and they would band together to pillage and kill before they degenerated completely into beasts. They were not as numerous as the Trogs, but their cunning and weapons made them deadly.

"This is it scab." Everett sneered as he stopped before a door with the word "Steelyard" crudely painted in red letters across it.

"You got three days to get ten ingots. After that we get another volunteer." Everett laughed as he turned and left Valeria alone in the darkness. She looked at the door and took a deep breath. The only weapon she had was her auto axe. The huge tool was made from scavenged truck parts and was used to cut wrecks apart. It could be a viciously effective weapon, but it was also slow and unwieldy. She had been given no supplies, so she was clearly expected to scavenge from the yard. Knowing waiting further was useless, Valeria seized the handle and pulled the door open.

Before her stretched an industrial wasteland of rusting boxcars under a pall of sulphurous smoke. A smokestack towered overhead, connected to the surrounding ruins by a web of pipes leaking plumes of fire. The roar of the flames added to the echoing groans of the mill as Valeria watched for movement. She didn't know where Wild Bill had gone, but suspected that by finding ingots she'd find him. Holding her axe before her, she cautiously advanced down the ramp toward a dim glow visible through the murk.

The glow proved to be a flickering emergency light set over a steel door. Valeria looked at the light astonished that there was power, then heard the sounds of claws scratching on steel. Turning she saw shadowy forms crawling along the tops of the freight cars, their eyes gleaming at her from the gloom.

Valeria whirled and drove her foot into the door, smashing it open halfway before it jammed. The growls of the Trogs were growing louder as she squeezed through the opening then wedged the door shut with her shoulder. It shook from an outside impact, than began to shudder from repeated assaults as Valeria desperately looked for anything to brace the door with. Set against the wall nearby was a set of battered steel lockers. With nothing else near, Valeria lunged from the door and hooked her fingers in a gap between the lockers and the wall. The door shuddered and opened a crack as she braced herself and heaved with all her strength. The steel cabinet came free with an explosive crack and Valeria flung it against the door. It crashed to the floor and Valeria drove her shoulder against it as misshapen hands flailed at her. Hurling herself against it a second time, she shoved the door closed with a boom.

Panting Valeria stood and backed away from the barricade. She had no idea how long it was going to hold, and took the chance to look at her refuge. Before her were silent turbines and giant pipes running from the floor to the ceiling. The air was thick with the smell of blood and three torn and mutilated bodies lay sprawled on the floor. All were wearing slave rags, and a wide bloodstain indicated that one of them had been dragged from the door. Valeria looked at the door and above her barricade saw a bloody hand print smeared on the steel. It appeared that the slaves had fled from inside the building and died as they reached the door. Valeria picked up her auto axe and advanced into the corridor. She didn't know what was waiting inside, but knew she couldn't go back.

The corridor turned and opened into a landing overlooking a chamber with rails along the floor and overturned ore cars scattered below. Valeria could see more bodies on the floor below and all was silent save for the sound of dripping water. She followed a steel staircase to the floor of what was once a loading bay for transporting cargo from the yard to the mill. As she reached the floor Valeria could see that it recently served as a common area with stained mattresses and empty containers scattered among the bodies. An auto axe lay nearby as well as an assortment of pipes and knives. Apparently the slaves had made a stand in this room except for the few who fled to the entrance.

The distant sound of gunfire made Valeria start. She looked up as more shots echoed from above. She had no reason to believe any armed intruders would be friendly, so she turned toward the only other exit, a maintenance corridor next to a blocked rail tunnel. As Valeria approached she saw something rise out of the shadows and stagger down the hall. Valeria sprinted after the fleeing figure who ran through a door at the end of the hall and tried to close it when she slammed it open with her shoulder. In the foul darkness Valeria could see a disease-scarred slave cowering in the back of a storage closet.

"You're not Billy!" The slave shrieked covering his head with his arms.

"I'm not going to hurt you!" Valeria shouted, startling the slave into silence. "What's your name?"

"Jon Jon."

"Who's Billy? And what happened here?"

"Billy's my brother. He didn't come back after they sent him for ingots and I volunteered the next time to look for him."

"How many slaves were here?"

"I don't know. Jake was the leader. He set this up, told everyone it was the perfect hiding place because the bosses would never come looking."

"Was a slave called Wild Bill here?" .

"No." Jon Jon replied shaking his head. "Jake said he was too dumb to stay in the yard and would tell the bosses where we were."

"Are there any other survivors?"

"I don't know." Jon Jon said, unable to meet Valeria's gaze. "I was…checking on Billy. He's sick and they wouldn't let me near him! They locked him up and wouldn't listen to me when I told them he needed my help…"

Suddenly Valeria heard a growl and whirled to face a huge Trog crawling toward her, it's blood-red eyes burning.

"Stay behind me!" Valeria shouted as she hit the starter on her axe. The trog crouched; it's muscles bunching under its greenish hide as it prepared to leap.

"Don't hurt Billy!" Jon Jon shrieked, and Valeria felt something smash the back of her head. Caught by surprise, Valeria crashed to the floor stunned.

"Billy, it's me…Jon Jon." Valeria heard as if from a great distance. She tried to get off the floor, when she felt a rush of movement as the trog leaped over her followed by a scream from Jon Jon. Her head-splitting with pain, Valeria grabbed her axe and staggered to her feet.

Rending and tearing sounds were coming from the closet as the Trog crouched with its back to her. Before she could move, it spun around, blood covering its fangs as it snarled. Valeria snarled in reply, the blades of her axe whirling as she readied for its charge. The trog growled, then leaped away down the hall. Startled, Valeria froze then screamed as bullets tore through her from behind.

"Damn, this one's still alive!" Someone shouted.

"Don't kill her!" Shouted a female voice. "We were supposed to bring back slaves. All the other assholes are dead and the trogs are coming!"

"The freak's as good as dead." Another voice snarled as Valeria was kicked in the side.

"Unless we bring back something, Raker's going to have us staked out for the trogs!"

"All right. We take the freak to Raker. Lights out princess!" At that moment the butt of a rifle smashed into the back of Valeria's head, and the world went black.

When Valeria slowly awoke she found herself being dragged up a steel stairway by two raiders. Looking down she could see the floor of the yard far below and realized they were climbing the main smokestack. Valeria closed her eyes, hoping to give her healing ability more time to work. Finally the raiders stopped as heavy footfalls approached them. Suddenly a hand seized her blood caked hair and yanked her head up. Valeria allowed her eyes to open slightly before rolling them up and pretending to faint.

"This is all you fucks brought me?" Raker demanded, his eyes bulging.

"All the slaves in that hideout were killed by a fucking big trog."

"You stupid fuckers!" Raker shouted, spittle flying from his lips. "I need those slaves to build my army!" He let go of Valeria's hair and screeched. "All you assholes can bring me is this freak and that dying fucker!"

"At least we got where the slaves were hiding before he died." A female raider blurted. Raker smashed his fist into her face then turned to the rest of the raiders, his eyes wild.

"All those slaves ripe for the taking, and you fucking idiots come back with nothing!"

Gunfire interrupted Raker's rant and his head snapped about to see where it was coming from. Overhead a bridge made of pipes stretched across the yard to a ruin almost lost in the murk. Muzzle flashes illuminated two wildmen cursing and firing down the ramp. Gunfire also erupted from below with a cry of "Trogs!" His rage forgotten, Raker turned to the two raiders holding Valeria.

"Put her with the other one! We got trogs to kill!" The raiders dragged Valeria behind a row of steel domes, tied her hands and left her in the inky darkness. As soon as she heard them leave she pushed herself up. The burning pain from her wounds had faded to a throbbing ache and Valeria turned to see whom she was imprisoned with.

Wild Bill was lying on his back with his hands bound. He had untreated gunshot wounds that smelled of rot and his eyes stared sightlessly. Valeria bowed her head then reached out with her bound hands and closed his eyes. Gunfire continued to echo around her as she looked up at the scaffolding far above her. Rage was seething within her as she raised her wrists to her mouth and began to chew the ropes.

Raker laughed maniacally as he fired at the trogs overwhelming the last of his guards on the stairway below. From this tower he could look down on his kingdom. With the ingots he had gathered, he would build weapons to conquer the Pitt. His eyes blazing with maniacal joy at his glorious vision he turned and started climbing the stairs. When he reached the level connected to the sky bridge he immediately noticed something was wrong. The two raiders he posted at the bridge were now sprawled with the stillness of death. Looking wildly about, Raker ran to the bridge and looked at the bodies. One had a broken neck, and the other's throat had been torn out.

Snarling, Raker frantically searched the shadows. Movement caught his eye and he looked down the bridge. He could clearly see the hunched forms of trogs scrabbling up the pipes toward him. Raker fired his rifle, then turned and began to climb the stairs to the top of the stack. His red vision of conquest fading, Raker climbed to the top where he kept his stash of ingots. There he would defend his treasure and rain death upon his enemies.

Almost gagging from exertion, Raker reached the top and froze, his eyes bulging in disbelief. The freak his followers had brought was standing in front of his ingots, her huge body covered with blood. Raker saw that her clawed hands were empty, and with a howl jerked his rifle up to fire. Moving with astonishing speed the mutant leaped forward as he pulled the trigger and seized him by the throat. Choking in her iron grip, he dropped his rifle and clawed at her hand as she lifted him over the rail.

"This is for Bill!" Was the last thing Raker heard as she released him to plummet to the yard far below.

Valeria put her hand to her stomach and looked at the blood covering it. She was wounded, but in her rage she barely felt it. The sounds of gunfire had ceased and only the moaning of the wind and the roars of the distant furnaces could be heard as Valeria picked up Raker's assault rifle. She could see movement on the stairs below as she pulled out the magazine and saw it was empty. She flung it away as the trogs swarmed up the stairs and with a shriek leaped into a whirlwind of fangs and teeth, swinging the rifle like a club.

Her eyes blazing with berserk fury, Valeria whirled and struck, splintering bones and shattering skulls in a red haze. In the confines of the stairway the trogs tore into each other trying to get to her, and many went screeching over the rail to plummet to the yard far below. Suddenly Valeria found herself on the next landing, a shattered rifle in her fists and the huge trog that used to be "Billy" facing her. Her scream matched its howl as they hurled themselves at each other.

Valeria went down under the trog, her hand covering its face and holding its gnashing jaws back as its claws tore at her. The trog kicked at her belly, attempting to disembowel her with its taloned feet. Valeria drove her boot into the trog's chest, flinging it away then leaping after it, driving her fists into its face. The trog flailed and clawed at her as she smashed it again and again until it went limp and Valeria clasped her fists for one last blow. In the moment before she struck, the trog hissed at her then gurgled through the red ruin of its mouth.

"Thaaank yoooou."


	10. Chapter 10

Everett smoked with his boots propped on his desk. It had been over a day since Valeria had entered the yard, and the odds on the betting pool he'd started were twenty to one that she wouldn't return. Sure she was a muscle-bound freak, but with the exception of Bill, nobody came back from a steel run. As Everett exhaled a cloud of smoke he thought it was too bad, she was cute in a freaky kind of way.

Suddenly the door to the yard opened and Valeria limped in. Everett's feet dropped to the floor as she approached the desk, a steel crate on her shoulder. She was streaked with dried blood and soot, and her white eyes blazed at him from her impassive face. With a shrug she dropped the crate to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Ten ingots." She said in a hoarse voice as she stared at Everett. He stepped around his desk as she waited with her arms crossed. He opened the crate and saw that it was full of dully gleaming steel ingots.

"Wow, you're quite the steeler." Everett said looking into her face. What he saw in her eyes made him look away and inhale from his cigarette. "Lotta folks lost some caps on you, yours truly included." He tried to look up at her as he chuckled, but again was forced to look away.

"I gotta go deliver a message." Everett said as he turned to the door. "You wait here till I get back." Everett strode out leaving Valeria alone in his office. She closed the lid and sat on the crate with her head bowed. Her body was still healing after the ordeal of the steelyard, and even her inhuman stamina was feeling the strain.

Heavy footsteps in the hall jerked Valeria awake. Aware that she had dozed off, she got to her feet before Everett entered the office. However the first figure to walk in wasn't Everett, it was Wernher. He met Valeria's gaze calmly as Everett entered behind him and dropped a crate near the door.

"Take a walk Everett." Wernher said without looking at him. Everett's mouth opened to say something, and then he thought better of it and with a glare turned and left the office. Wernher cupped a hand over his mouth as he lit a cigarette, and then exhaled a cloud of smoke at Valeria.

"Well now, look at you. Snagged all the ingots in one run. Not bad for a newbie."

"What do you want?"

"You're a sharp one." Wernher said with a nod. "Good, that saves time. Asher figures its time for a fight in the hole. He's got some new recruits from outside the Pitt, and nothing promotes bonding like a little blood sport."

Wernher smoked as he watched Valeria's reaction. Seeing none he continued.

"Pretty quick Ashur going to give a speech to all the slaves. At the end he's going to ask for volunteers to fight in the Pitt. I've got orders that if you survived you were going to be one of the volunteers."

"Why would I volunteer?"

"Simple." Wernher replied with a smirk. "It would look pretty stupid if Asher gave his little pep talk and nobody stepped forward. If nobody is dumb enough to volunteer, Asher has guards in the crowd to make sure somebody does."

"Why me?"

"You may not be aware of it, but the slaves are already talking about you. You really stand out in a crowd, and everyone knows how strong you are. Ashur figures that you would put on a good show, maybe even boost morale."

"And if I refused?" Valeria said.

Wernher shrugged as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "If you don't, someone else will go in your place. Maybe that slave Bill hung out with, Milly. I don't think she'd put up much of a fight, but in the hole it's all about the blood anyway."

Valeria glared at Wernher as he smiled nonchalantly. "You like to take one for the team. Here's your chance."

"What happens if I win?"

"Not much chance of that happening. Only the newbies think it's a fair fight. The "winner" is anointed by Asher himself to become part of the army of the Pitt." Wernher exhaled a cloud of smoke then continued.

"Freedom's the prize he dangles in front of everyone." He dropped the butt of his cigarette on the floor and ground it out with his boot.

"Ashur's already gotten word that you're back, so he'll be making the rounds through the Pitt." Wernher turned and gestured at the crate Everett had carried in. "Here's the stuff that got taken from you. Go ahead, you've earned it." Wernher watched as Valeria opened the crate to find her Pipboy resting on top of her armor. Taking it, she put it on and watched the screen flicker to life. Without looking at Wernher, she removed her scavenged armor and put on her old suit.

"Looks like everything's there." Wernher observed with a smirk as she finished dressing. "See you in the hole hero."

After Wernher left, two raiders escorted Valeria back to Downtown. The bosses of the Pitt all lived in Uptown, a network of catwalks and bridges through the upper stories of the ruins. The slaves were all herded into a courtyard to await Ashur's arrival. Despite the number of slaves, there was little talking above the shouts and orders of the raiders. As Valeria entered the square, the slaves all moved out of her way with their eyes lowered. Standing a head taller then the others, Valeria quickly found Milly in the crowd and tried to move toward her. A murmur began as raiders began to cross the ramps overhead in preparation for Ashur's arrival.

Milly looked up and saw Valeria making her way through the crowd. Shouts from above declared Ashur's arrival and Valeria realized she wasn't going to get close enough to speak to Milly. She met her gaze and shook her head. Milly's head bowed as Valeria heard a voice shout. "Citizens of the Pitt, rejoice!" Valeria looked up to see a man in heavy power armor decorated with bones standing on the scaffolding above them. The slaves all raised their eyes to look at what had to be Ashur, while the raiders standing among them watched the crowd.

"My loyal workers!" Ashur exhorted. "Who among you wishes to join the fight for freedom? For true freedom is what we all yearn for!"

Valeria knew her cue, and glancing at the raiders about her shouted. "I'll fight in the hole!" Ashur's dark bearded face turned toward her and he said. "Madam, you carry the hopes of all the workers that one day they will all win their freedom! You will prepare yourself to be forged anew in the crucible of the arena!" He then moved his gaze over the rest of the crowd. "The rest of you are dismissed!" Urged on by the raiders, the slaves began to shuffle back to their work. Valeria tried to look for Milly, but a raider in a filtration helmet blocked her path.

"You heard Ashur!" He ordered raising his rifle. "We're going to Faydra!" Valeria glared at the guard, then turned and began to walk back to the Mill.

Faydra was in a room below the Mill accessed by a dark staircase. Valeria guessed that the Hole had been constructed from the remnants of the old city sewer system. Her suspicion was confirmed when she entered a smoky room lit by a burn barrel and smelling of blood, fear and urine. The only exit was a large drainage pipe set in the wall, in front of which was a disease-scarred woman in spiked leather armor. She stopped smoking and looked Valeria over with a smirk.

"So you're the dumb scab who volunteered for the hole." She laughed as she smoked and looked Valeria up and down. "You're a big one, maybe you'll give us a decent show for once."

"Who am I going to fight?" Valeria asked.

"Some of the other slaves who 'volunteered' when Ashur made the rounds. I'll tell you when the match is about to start, until then you stay down here. Try to leave and the guards will treat it as an escape attempt."

Valeria nodded and sat down on a nearby chair. Her short rest in Everett's office had helped restore some of her reserves, but she knew she needed to be as close to full strength as she could. With nothing to do but wait, Valeria leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

Soon Faydra returned and ordered Valeria to get in the hole and wait for the gate to open. Faydra didn't offer a weapon, and Valeria didn't ask for one. She waited in the darkness as someone shouted from above.

"…They will fight! They will die! And all for you! All for your entertainment!"

Suddenly the roar of the crowd drowned the announcer out as the gate swung open and she stepped onto the packed dirt of the arena floor. Three other slaves in a mish-mash of armor pieces and carrying spears were slowly making their way around a chain link structure in the middle of the arena. Clearly they had decided that Valeria was the greater threat and had formed a temporary alliance to eliminate her. The structure was an intersection of four short tunnels. Valeria ran into it hoping it would separate the slaves and keep them from attacking simultaneously. With hoarse shouts, the slaves entered each of the tunnels and charged with their spears lowered.

Valeria seized a spear shaft, yanking it past as she struck another spear point aside. Jerked off balance, the slave stumbled forward striking the slave behind Valeria in the abdomen. The wounded slave shrieked and went down as the crowd roared at the sight of blood. The third slave charged his spear aimed at her face. Valeria seized it and jerked it to the side as she drove her elbow into his face. The last slave thrust at Valeria's side leaving a bloody gash as she twisted away. Grabbing the spear with both hands, Valeria tore it from his grasp and drove the butt into his stomach. Ashen faced the slave fell gagging to the ground as Valeria turned and glared up at the roaring crowd.

"What's this?" Wernher said from his vantage point next to Ashur. "She just walked through them and isn't finishing any of them off."

"No she isn't, is she." Asher said thoughtfully. He turned and gave an order to one of his guards, then stepped to the edge of the dome raising his hand for silence. Valeria looked up at him, her white eyes burning with barely suppressed fury.

"Woman! You know the law of the arena! Only one can leave it alive!"

Valeria sneered and dropped the spear she was holding.

"By this act of defiance, your life is forfeit!" Ashur replied. "Do you intend to sacrifice yourself for another?"

Valeria stood silently and waited.

"Very well!" Said Ashur as he nodded to the raiders around him. Several stepped forward and opened fire. Valeria flinched before realizing none of the bullets were striking her as the other slaves screamed and thrashed. She looked at the dying slaves, then back at Ashur in helpless fury.

"Only I, the lord of the Pitt can determine who lives and dies in this city." Ashur shouted, spreading his arms wide. "Seek to challenge my laws again, and you will not find me so merciful!"

As the announcer declared Valeria's victory, Ashur turned to Wernher. "Ready the main event."

"You want her dead that bad?"

"The next round could be one of the best spectacles we've had for awhile. Whether she lives or dies, a good fight will help solidify my hold over the Pitt's loyalty." Wernher nodded and Ashur strode away through the crowd as Valeria was escorted from the Hole.

Word traveled quickly in the Pitt, and on the day of Valeria's second match the floor of the Mill was crowded with raiders many climbing onto the dome for a better view. Completely ignored, many of the mill slaves had ceased their labors and were standing at the fringe of the crowd. Word among the slaves was the giant woman named Valeria had survived the steelyard as well as the first round of combat in the hole. It was even said that she had defied Ashur and survived. Desperate for a hero, the slaves were willing to risk beatings or worse to see if Valeria could achieve the impossible.

Ashur stood at the edge of the dome, his elite guards keeping the crowd from pressing too close. Wernher pushed his way through the crowd and stood at Ashur's side.

"It's all ready." Wernher said. "We lost a few slaves though."

"Sacrifices have to be made for freedom Wernher." Ashur replied, his eyes never leaving the hole. "Everyone in the Pitt knows it."

"Yes they do." Wernher replied his face unreadable as he too looked into the Pitt.

"This "Valeria" has proven to be tenacious." Ashur said. "This contest may prove to be enlightening."

"Welcome all to another round of blood and fury in the Hole!" Shouted the announcer from across the dome, his voice amplified by a microphone. The crowd roared in response, and it was several minutes before he could be heard.

"First we have our challenger! The slave who would battle her way from Downtown through the crucible of the arena! The mighty Valeria!"

Ashur glanced about at the roar of approval from the crowd then looked down as the gate below opened and Valeria stepped into the arena.

After the last match, Valeria almost didn't hear Faydra's grudging compliment of her performance. As if she had fallen in ice water, Ashur's "mercy" had awakened Valeria from an almost dreamlike state. Ever since the battle in the steelyard, Valeria had been walking in a red haze of rage. What disturbed her was how natural it had felt, to the point where she wasn't even aware of it. Until recently, rage had saved her life, making her stronger and immune to pain. This was the first time she had become aware that it was always there seething below the surface and making her dangerously impulsive. Her defiance of Ashur had been heedless of the consequences to herself, or others. Valeria knew she had to find a way to control it, before her own madness got her killed.

Valeria stood with her hammer in her hands waiting for what was to come. Before she entered the arena, Faydra handed her the weapon she had thought lost in the Capital Wasteland.

"Looks like you're going to need it grinder." Faydra had sneered.

Looking up, Valeria saw steel drums suspended by chains from the ceiling. She hadn't seen them earlier and suspected they were an additional complication in the coming battle.

"And now, from the Capital Wasteland!" The announcer shouted. "Captured by our mighty army at the price of many brave souls! The terror of the wastes! The terrifying Deathclaw!"

The crowd roared as Valeria tightened her grip on her hammer. She had heard about Deathclaws, but had never seen one. As the gate opened Valeria she stared into the dark opening.

"Yet that is not all!" The announcer added. "Suspended above the hole are barrels filled with industrial waste from the depths of the Pitt! Bathed in lethal radiation, the combatants must prevail quickly or die a horrible death!"

The crowd roared its approval as a nightmare visage of fangs, horns, and burning yellow eyes emerged from the dark tunnel. Two huge clawed hands appeared as it seized the mouth of the pipe and pulled its bulk into the arena. Freed from its confinement, the Deathclaw reared up to its full nine-foot height and roared at the howling mob above.

Suddenly the barrels were released and fell about the hole with leaden thumps. None broke open, but Valeria's Pipboy immediately began to crackle a warning. The deathclaw crouched; startled by the falling barrels, then its yellow eyes spotted Valeria. It's nostrils flared as it growled and its eyes narrowed to burning slits. Valeria suddenly realized that she had been wasting precious seconds staring at the terrifying mutant as it reared up again, spreading its long arms as if for an embrace.

With a shriek, Valeria launched herself at the Deathclaw, ducking and smashing her hammer at its back bent legs. The Deathclaw roared as her hammer crunched into its thigh, toppling it over. Dodging a slash from its rear claw, Valeria leaped into the air for a killing blow. Before it landed, the Deathclaw moved with inhuman speed and backhanded her across the arena.

Valeria smashed into the wall with bone shattering force and fell to the ground. She could feel her radiated body trying to heal broken bones as she struggled to get to her feet while coughing and spitting blood. Across the arena, the Deathclaw had rolled to its hands and feet, clearly unable to put it's full weight on one leg. It's eyes glaring with an evil cunning, it began to crawl toward her, it's tongue snaking over it's drooling fangs.

Valeria knew that her only chance was to go on the offensive, she had to hit the creature before its instinctive attacks pinned her down. Taking a deep breath, she allowed the pain and the taste of blood to fuel her rage. The Deathclaw couched like a giant cat, ready to pounce when Valeria screamed and leaped to the attack.

Her hammer smashed at the Deathclaw's head, but the creature ducked and her blow sheared off a horn in a shower of blood. The Deathclaw landed on its side and Valeria leaped inside its reach and drove the pommel of her hammer into its chest. Bones shattered under the impact, and the creature roared as it tried to fight in the unaccustomed grapple. Valeria drove the pommel down again when the Deathclaw's talons speared into her back. Blood erupted from Valeria's mouth as she screamed in agony, her mind washed away in a tidal wave of fury.

Transfixed on the creature's claws, Valeria was lifted into the air as it's blood caked jaws gaped for a killing bite. With a primal shriek Valeria ignored her terrible wounds and smashed her hammer down on the nightmare visage before her. The Deathclaw's talons tore out of her in a shower of blood as the mutant's death throes flung her across the arena. Her eyes still blazing, Valeria staggered to her feet and limped back to the twitching monster, hitting it repeatedly until it lay still. Her enemy dead, Valeria threw her head back and screamed at the mob above chanting "Val…Val…Val!"

"Fuck!" Exclaimed Wernher as Ashur watched Valeria shriek at him, her eyes burning as fiercely as the Deathclaw's.

"Get her out of there before the rads kill her." Ashur ordered as the crowd continued to roar, then looked back into the hole, with a grim smile on his dark face.


	11. Chapter 11

Valeria was silent when guards in iconoclast armor and filtration helmets escorted her out of the arena. Faydra didn't greet her with her characteristic sneer and sarcasm. Instead she stood back and smoked in silence as Valeria staggered to a table covered with first aid supplies. Valeria knocked Rad-X and scalpels to the floor as she seized a bloodpack, tore the top off with her teeth and draining it in one gulp.

"You're some piece of work grinder." Faydra said shaking her head, a grudging smile on her scabbed lips. Valeria ignored her, and stood with her eyes closed as she felt the warmth of the plasma spreading though her. Her rage was subsiding, and the pain of her terrible injuries was growing in its place. Faydra looked at the gaping wounds inflicted by the Deathclaw and again shook her head.

"I can't believe you're still standing. Guess you are as tough as you look."

Valeria said nothing as she fought to stay upright and keep from screaming in agony. Her heavily radiated body was healing at an incredible rate, but the Deathclaw had come closer to killing her then anything she had faced since fleeing the Vault. Seeing that her comments were eliciting no response, Faydra shrugged and smoked in silence. The pain was finally subsiding enough for Valeria to open her streaming eyes when Wernher entered the dank pit alone.

"Hell of a fight in the hole." Wernher announced. "You impressed Ashur and he wants to meet you in Haven." He looked appraisingly at Valeria's unsteady posture and tear and blood streaked face.

"We'll be heading through Uptown, and Ashur doesn't like to wait." He turned to Faydra and snapped. "Clean her up and hit her with med-X if you have to."

Faydra shrugged and picked up a bucket with a stained rag draped over the rim. She flung the rag at Valeria who mechanically caught it, then upended the bucket over Valeria's head, dousing her in blood warm water. Valeria gasped as the shock cleared her head, and quickly scrubbed the blood and filth from her face and hair.

"Good enough." Wernher observed with a nod. "Let's go."

As Valeria followed Wernher through the Mill to one of the ramps leading to Uptown, the guards watched her pass with expressions of grudging respect. The slaves also looked up, and in their eyes she saw hope. The admiration of the guards and the slaves made Valeria uncomfortable. She had won in the Hole by becoming a beast as savage as the Deathclaw, and to be admired for that felt very wrong to her.

Wernher finally led her up a staircase to an apartment with only one intact wall several stories above the street. Although connected by ramps to the other buildings there was no traffic visible in the smoky haze.

"This will do." Said Wernher as he stopped and turned to Valeria. "I've had you pegged as smart, so tell me what you think of the Pitt."

Valeria's eyes widened in surprise as she tried to read Wernher's mood. "What do you mean?"

"You've been in the Pitt a while, I want your take on the situation here." Wernher produced a cigarette and lit it. Valeria stared at him for a moment before she replied.

"It's a dictatorship with the population controlled by terror."

"You obviously aren't buying Ashur's line about working for your 'freedom'. It's also a fucking powder keg waiting to go off."

"Why are you telling me this?" Valeria asked, mystified by what Wernher was up to.

"Because the 'fuse' has been lit." Wernher replied. "Looks like you aren't plugged into the rumor mill. The word is that Ashur's found a cure for the TDC, and he's not planning to share it."

"Is it true?"

"Doesn't matter. Right now Ashur's sitting on top of a slave population with nothing to lose and everything to gain if they storm Haven."

"Why tell me and not Ashur?"

"I have told Ashur." Wernher replied shaking his head. "The arrogant bastard is convinced he has the muscle to stop anything the slaves can throw at him."

"So what are you asking me to do?"

"From what I've heard, the shit's about to hit the fan." Wernher replied. "Hell, your performance in the Hole's probably moved the timetable up. You beat the odds in there, it's making the slaves think maybe they can too." Wernher paused to smoke then continued.

"The problem is that there is a cure, but it's not what everyone wants to believe. Not long ago, Ashur and his top egghead Sondra had a kid. Every baby born in the pit either dies or goes trog, but not this one. It seems his brat's immune, and they're trying to figure out how."

"And?" Valeria asked with a growing sense of unease.

"That kid could be the only hope for any kind of future in the Pitt." Wernher replied. "But imagine what would happen if a bunch of slaves stormed Haven looking for a cure in a bottle. Ashur wants a personal audience with you, that puts you closer to that kid then anyone else."

"I won't kidnap a baby." Valeria declared glaring at Wernher.

"I'm not asking you to." Wernher replied smiling. "I've been watching you and I think you'd protect a kid regardless of what its parents are. I want you to make sure the brat survives and doesn't leave the Pitt."

"Ashur has guards doesn't he?"

"They're all former raiders. They'll turn on Ashur in a second to save their skins. I need someone in there I can trust to do the job."

"Why don't you do it?"

"I may be Ashur's lieutenant." Wernher replied with a chuckle. "But he doesn't seem to trust me. I don't go into Haven unless he orders me to."

"I don't trust you either."

"I don't give a shit." Wernher replied as he ground out his cigarette and turned toward one of the ramps.

"I haven't given you an answer." Valeria said crossing her arms.

"I don't need one." Wernher replied without turning. "You're going to Ashur, so you're already committed. You just needed to know the situation so I can let nature take its course."

Valeria scowled as Wernher crossed a bridge toward the next building. Knowing he was right about her choices, Valeria followed. Wernher continued to lead her through ruined skyscrapers and past gangs of raiders who either sneered or stared thoughtfully at her as she passed. Finally they descended a ramp and entered the courtyard of a towering building armored with rusting steel plates on its lower stories. Dimly visible against the smoky haze Valeria could see ravens circling the tower, their distant croaks adding to the echoing groans of the mill.

Wernher led her across the courtyard where yawning gaps in the pavement revealed the radioactive waters of the ruptured sewer lines below. Dominating the courtyard was a huge stature made of braided cable and flanked by two jets spouting plumes of fire. The statue was of a man fighting to free himself from chains holding him to the ground. Valeria stopped to look up at it, wondering if it was part of an illusion Ashur was creating, or if the Lord of the Pitt was ignorant of his own hypocrisy. Shaking her head, she walked between the statue's legs and approached a broad staircase guarded by two raiders in anonymous filtration helmets and coveralls.

"You're on you own from here." Wernher declared. "Just head to the elevator and take it to the top." He turned and walked back across the courtyard as Valeria watched. Then she faced the grim fortress of Haven and climbed the stairs to the oak doors. The raiders opened them before her and she entered a lofty pillared hall, the ceiling lost in the thick shadows. Two staircases led to a balcony where she could just make out the doors to a lift through the gloom. Valeria climbed the stairs and after a moment's hesitation pressed the button next to the elevator. After a few minutes of rumbling and banging, the doors slid open and Valeria entered the elevator and pressed the only button that was lit.

The doors slid closed and after a minute of shaking and groaning from the cables overhead the doors opened to what was once the lobby of a luxury suite. Valeria approached the large chamber at the end, dimly lit by flickering bulbs set in wall scones. Two raiders watched her pass, their expressionless filtration masks silently turning to follow her. Ashur waited for her behind a massive oak desk covered with books. He was still wearing his power armor, and although shorter than Valeria his presence seemed to fill the room.

"Impressive work in the hole new blood." He said as Valeria stopped in front of his desk. "Not many slaves get to stand in my presence, but then you aren't a slave anymore are you?"

"Are you offering me my freedom?" Valeria asked.

"Direct." Said Ashur with a nod. "Most refreshing. I would normally have offered you a place in my army. You have proven yourself most capable in battle and your talents would be useful now."

"Why?"

"Currently there is a slave revolt in progress, and my men are putting it down." Ashur replied calmly.

"What!" Valeria exclaimed in shock.

"As you may have heard I have a potential cure for the diseases that ravage the Pitt. I knew a secret of that magnitude couldn't be kept for long, so I 'leaked' it to the workers."

"W…Why?" Valeria stammered.

"The tensions in the Pitt have been building for some time, an unfortunate result of actions necessity has driven me too. A revolt was inevitable, and I knew the rumor of a cure would instigate an uprising. By releasing the secret myself, I created the opportunity to set the time and place. I placed agent provocateurs among the slaves, and my men are in place and ready. The revolt will be put down with a regrettable but considerably reduced loss of lives. The workers most inclined to make trouble will be identified and killed and the rest of the population will have been reminded who rules in the Pitt."

"Why are you telling me?" Valeria finally asked, her mouth dry. "What if I was here to help the slaves?"

"I gave the order before you entered Haven, attacking me would change nothing."

Valeria stood stunned, trying to comprehend what Ashur was telling her.

"I considered using you in this operation, but after your performance in the Hole I realized there is a much more important place for you in my organization." Ashur walked past her toward an open hallway.

"If you would follow me, I will explain." Valeria obeyed, her mind whirling as they walked down the dimly lit corridor. Did Wernher know about Ashur's plan, or had he been fooled too? If Wernher knew, then he had lied to her, to what end she couldn't imagine. It was possible Ashur was lying, but something in his tone convinced her he wasn't; his men were now slaughtering the slaves as they tried to fight for their freedom.

Suddenly rage began to burn through the icy panic filling her mind. The breakers were some of the bravest slaves in the Pitt, if anyone would be leading the revolt it would be them. People she had worked and suffered with were now fighting and dying for nothing. Her hands flexed as she followed Ashur into a well-lit laboratory. A tall attractive woman with short dark hair wearing a lab coat stood as they entered. She looked past Ashur at Valeria and eyes widened with shock.

"Sandra, this is Valeria." Sandra regained her composure and nodded, as Valeria looked around the room, noting medical equipment, computers, a steel gurney covered with straps, and a metal capsule connected to monitors.

"Ashur's told me about you." Sandra said. "You're from the Capital Wasteland aren't you?" Valeria nodded stepping toward the capsule.

"That's our little miracle, Marie." Sandra said with a note of pride from behind Valeria.

"What are the monitors for?" Valeria asked as she looked at the sleeping infant in the steel container.

"It appears that Marie is immune to the TDC, but we keep an eye on her just in case." Sandra explained. "Her crib is a pre war cryo chamber for infants. It's been very useful some nights, but I watch Marie's vitals to be sure."

Valeria continued to stare at the baby, her hands closing into fists.

"You said I had a…place in Haven." Valeria said, stalling for time as she tried to collect her thoughts.

"Yes I did." Ashur replied as Sandra stepped forward and rammed a needle into the back of Valeria's neck. Valeria whirled, knocking Sandra to the ground before Ashur smashed an armored fist into her face, knocking her into a table. Snarling, she tried to push herself up when Ashur hit her again sending her to the floor. Her world going gray, Valeria tried to push herself up when a steel boot kicked her in the head ending her struggle in an explosion of pain.


	12. Chapter 12

"Damn it Ashur!" Sandra exclaimed as she climbed to her feet. "Did you have to bring that…monster in here?"

"It was a calculated risk." Asher admitted looking down at Valeria. "After her performance in the Hole I had doubts she could be overpowered without the element of surprise." He turned to his daughter's crib. "Besides, you agreed and Marie is safe in the cryo-crib."

"Reluctantly." Sandra corrected. "And only because I didn't believe what you told me about her." She knelt by Valeria's side and but her fingers on her throat to check her pulse. "If I had known what kind of freak you were bringing into my lab..."

"Is she still alive?" Asher asked as Sandra finished her cursory examination.

"Yes, although I'm surprised she's still breathing after the beating you gave her. I hit her with a triple dose of sedative. Right now her vitals should be slowing almost to nothing yet they seem strong and steady."

"She is a remarkable specimen." Asher said nodding. "She has considerable resistance to radiation and injury, and so far appears unaffected by the TDC."

"You said the Deathclaw savaged her in the arena. She's covered with claw marks that look not only lethal, but also several weeks old."

"This woman represents an incredible opportunity. She could be an FEV mutant, but unlike the ones I met she isn't a neuter. As soon as she's restrained I want you to confirm if her reproductive system is viable."

"Really Ashur?" Sandra said with a look of distaste at Valeria.

"Indeed, just think of the possibilities. If we can breed her, her abilities may transfer to a generation of workers who would be strong, tough, and raised to be loyal. We would have no need to recruit more workers."

"And what if she's sterile?"

"She still could be invaluable in our research. Progress had been hampered by the delicate nature of the tests we have to run. This mutant can clearly withstand much more rigorous testing. By using her as a test subject, we could have a treatment in months instead of years."

"Not having to run tests on Marie would be a huge relief."

"For me as well." Ashur replied. "I'll send my guards to assist getting our 'guest' secured. You are certain she will remain unconscious for some time?"

"I can't say for sure." Sandra said shaking her head. "But she is under a massive dose now, and I'll just inject her again if she starts to move."

Ashur nodded but before he could reply the lights flickered then went out before returning a few seconds later.

"It appears the backup generator is on." Ashur said with a frown. Suddenly the intercom near the door began to beep. Ashur strode to the door and angrily jammed the call button.

"What is it?"

"Ashur!" Shouted a voice distorted by static. "The power's out everywhere but the Mill! The spotlights are out and the trogs are swarming the city! Our perimeter guards are holding them off, but the rest of us are tied down with the fucking slaves!"

"All right, I'm coming down!" Ashur growled. He turned to Sandra and said. "I will need to use the guards for another purpose. It appears we have a problem with our power plant that I'll have to address personally."

Sandra stepped forward and gave Ashur a quick kiss. "Be careful." She said.

"I will. Take care of Marie, I'll be back shortly." He then turned and strode swiftly from the room, shouting for the guards.

Sandra stood for a moment listening to the hum of machines and the occasional gasp from her sleeping daughter. Turning back to the unconscious woman on the floor, Sandra briefly considered getting her on the gurney herself. She quickly decided against it, realizing she would have trouble dragging the huge slave, let alone lifting her. Instead she righted the table knocked over in the struggle. As she picked up the instruments scattered on the floor, she found her holodisk recorder. After checking to see if it was damaged, Sandra turned to Valeria and switched it on.

"Sandra Kundanika's research log, August tenth, two-thousand-two-hundred-seventy-seven. Test subject is a…female mutant, about eighty-four inches tall and possibly two to three hundred pounds. More accurate numbers will be established once the subject is fully restrained." Sandra's eyes roamed over Valeria's body before she again pressed the record button.

"Subject has female sexual characteristics, but her size and musculature are far in excess of any human norm. More accurate determination of gender and reproductive capability must also wait until the subject is fully restrained."

Sandra shut off the recorder in frustration. Surely Ashur could have left one guard to help her restrain the mutant? Suddenly the intercom began to buzz once again. Puzzled, Sandra approached it and pressed the call button.

"Sandra."

"Sandra!" Shouted Ashur's voice, the crack of gunfire audible over the static. "We've been betrayed! Wernher has turned our forces and is holding the plant!" Sandra froze in shock as Ashur continued. "The bastard timed this perfectly! Secure Marie and kill the mutant, I'll meet you soon! Ashur out!"

Stunned by the sudden reversal of her fortunes, Sandra stood silent for a moment and then turned and drew her automatic pistol. She looked down at Valeria and experienced a moment of regret at the lost research opportunity. However, finding a cure was now moot and the giant mutant was too dangerous to be allowed to live. She pulled the slide back, chambered a round, than put the barrel to Valeria's temple.

Suddenly Valeria's eyes snapped open and she twisted her head toward Sandra. Startled, Sandra froze a split-second before pulling the trigger, the slug tearing a bloody furrow along Valeria's head instead of through it. Valeria screamed in pain and flailed to her feet as Sandra staggered back trying to avoid the mutant's grasp and regain her balance. As Valeria staggered upright, Sandra cursed and fired, the bullet screaming from Valeria's armored collar before the pistol was slapped from her hand.

Swearing, her right hand numbed by the impact, Sandra lunged after her weapon. Her left hand closed on the grip and she started to turn when Valeria's full weight fell on her in a clumsy tackle. Valeria heard a muffled report and Sandra went rigid beneath her. Blinking to clear her eyes, her head throbbing with pain, Valeria turned the woman over and saw a wide bloodstain spreading on the front of her lab coat. Sandra's mouth worked as she tried to speak, then her eyes closed and she went limp.

Ashur checked the magazine on his assault rifle as the elevator shook and rattled around him. His remaining guards were now holding the lobby below as he went to retrieve his wife and daughter. What his men didn't know was that his private suite had a secret pre-war amenity. With the threat of war looming, wealthy residents could use a hidden elevator to the hotel's fallout shelter.

Ashur took a deep breath as he tried to think through a haze of murderous rage. The power plant was inside Haven's compound where he assumed it was secure. His overconfidence gave Wernher an opening, and now Ashur's forces were trapped between a desperate mob of slaves and a ravening horde of Trogs. He had never trusted his lieutenant, but the ruthlessness of the coup had taken him by surprise. Now his only option was to flee and plot to retake his city.

The elevator dinged at his floor and the doors slid open revealing the massive form of Valeria. With a curse Ashur opened fire as she reeled back. In the muzzle flashes Ashur saw she was carrying Marie's crib and with a curse jerked his weapon up, blasting the ceiling. Smoke filled the hall and plaster rained down as Ashur stepped out of the elevator. When he had seen Marie's cryo-crib in the mutant's arms, his rage had been replaced with fear. The crib was armored, but the thought that he may have hit his daughter chilled him.

Gritting his teeth, Ashur focused on the moment and cautiously approached the side passage to the restrooms where Valeria had fled. Kneeling he spotted large spots of blood on the dark marble indicating he had hit her. He had already underestimated the woman, who he assumed killed Sandra. His wife had been a raider before they met, and would have defended Marie viciously. His mistakes were costing him everything, but he wasn't going to lose Marie.

"Your partner, Wernher will be coming." Ashur said, knowing Valeria could hear him. "Did he tell you to secure my daughter for him?" Ashur waited for a reply, and when none came continued.

"Do you think he'll be considerate of Marie's life while searching for a cure?"

"I didn't mean to kill Sandra." Valeria's voice replied from down the hall. "She was trying to shoot me and…fell on her gun."

Asher was surprised that the mutant even tried to justify the killing of his wife. Valeria's voice also told him that she was in the rearmost stall on the right.

"True or not." Ashur replied as he readied his weapon. "Wernher has unleashed the trogs on the city. They are killing slaves as well as my troops so you know what his word is worth."

Ashur waited for sounds of movement then said. "You are as much an asset to Wernher as Marie, and for the same reason. Our only chance to get out of this alive is to work together."

"How?" Valeria replied, and Ashur smiled.

"There is a way out that only I know of." Ashur said. "I propose a truce until we are clear of the city."

"All right." Valeria replied after a pause. "You drop your gun in the hall, and I'll throw out my hammer."

"Very well, on the count of three." He slowly began counting, and then slid his gun across the hall toward his office. With a clang, Valeria dropped her hammer, and kicked it through the door. After a moment she walked into the dim light holding the crib in front of her. Marie was in the artificially induced slumber of the cryo-crib, and he could hear the quiet gasps and sighs of his daughter. Ashur stood as Valeria approached him.

"We don't have much time." He said. "Give me Marie." Valeria looked at him for a moment, then handed him the capsule. Ashur took it in his arms, noting the blood caking the side of Valeria's head. Concealed by his daughter's crib, Ashur checked the position of the holdout knife concealed in the forearm of his armor.

Once in the office he set his daughter down next to the desk and began to work several buttons hidden under the desktop. There was a series of beeps, and then with a click a panel slid open on the back wall revealing an elevator, barely large enough for two. Valeria stepped forward and looked inside as Asher bent to pick up Marie then pivoted and thrust his blade into Valeria's back. Valeria screamed and before he could strike again smashed Ashur over the desk.

Protected by his armor, Ashur rolled to his knees then scrambled for his rifle. He heard a scream of rage from Valeria as his hand closed on the weapon's stock, and he whirled to see her lifting the oak desk, tearing the hidden cables free with a flash of sparks. She ran several steps as Ashur's fire shredded the thick wood than hurled it with a scream of effort. Ashur tried to leap clear but was slowed by his armor as the huge missile slammed him to the floor. Valeria turned and lunged for her hammer, ignoring the blood pouring down her side. Her hands closed on the haft as Ashur flung the desk off him and seized his rifle. Valeria screamed and leaped as Ashur opened fire with a howl of rage. Bullets screamed off her armor and tore bloody holes through her torso as she brought her hammer down in one terrible blow. Blood burst out of Ashur's mouth and he gasped in agony as Valeria raised her hammer and with a shriek brought it down on his snarling face.

Valeria collapsed to her knees next to Ashur's corpse as she coughed on her own blood. Suddenly she looked up as she heard the rumble of the elevator. Realizing Wernher was coming, Valeria leaned heavily on her hammer and forced herself to her feet. She staggered and almost fell, then lurched toward the cryo-crib with its sleeping occupant. Slinging her hammer, she lifted the capsule then stepped into the hidden elevator. Valeria pressed the only button, then leaned against the wall as the doors slid closed.


	13. Chapter 13

The Pitt was a whirlpool of gunfire, screams, and murky darkness lit by burning cars and buildings. Valeria moved cautiously through the ruins, staying near the pools of light keeping the Trogs at bay. The battle for the Pitt had moved to other parts of the city, and all Valeria found where bodies, both slaves and raiders joined in death. They gave mute testimony to the savagery of the fighting. Slaves lay sprawled where the raiders shot them from the ramps overhead. She also saw the mutilated bodies of bosses hanging or impaled on power poles. Nowhere did Valeria find Milly, living or dead.

Valeria finally arrived at the Fort Pitt Bridge, one of the few still crossing the radiated waters of the Monongahela river. It was now a radioactive inferno covered with bodies and burning wrecks. A large group of slaves had apparently made a desperate attempt to escape and detonated the mines covering the bridge. Once the fusion cores of the derelict cars were breached the bridge was consumed by fire and choked with black smoke.

Valeria watched a mushroom cloud of fire roar toward the sky as another car exploded, then turned to look back at the Pitt. Gunfire crackled in the distance, and there was no sign that the floodlights keeping the Trogs out of Haven had been turned back on. Valeria turned back to the bridge and made sure the pack of supplies she had taken from Ashur's cache was secure as well as her hammer. She had consumed all the bloodpacks she found in the medical supply, knowing she would need all of her remaining strength to escape the Pitt as well as heal from her wounds.

Another fireball erupted from the bridge as Valeria lifted Marie's cryo-crib and looked at the sleeping infant's face through the glass panel. Valeria then looked up at the radioactive hell in front of her and with a snarl charged headlong into it.

Valeria's hair blackened and her skin blistered as she ran half-blinded through walls of searing heat. Valeria couldn't see the other side of the bridge, but knew the only way out was through the flames. She leaped a burning wreck when an explosion filled her vision with white light and flung her against the steel rail of the bridge. Deafened and stunned, Valeria fought to stay conscious then realized Marie was no longer in her arms. She staggered to her feet and saw the capsule surrounded by flames near the gutted shell of a truck. With a scream Valeria hurled herself forward, heedless of the pain as she seized the capsule and leaped through a cloud of radioactive smoke.

Valeria finally emerged from the inferno and dropped to her knees coughing and gagging as she clutched the crib to her. It was several minutes before her radiation fueled healing reduced the pain to where she could take a shuddering breath and open her eyes to look at the crib. It took a moment to focus as Valeria wiped soot from the window with a blistered hand. The indicator lights were green and the little girl was still sleeping in her artificially induced slumber and Valeria felt an unexpected surge of relief. She painfully stood and turned to look back at the Pitt. She had no choice, but still felt she had abandoned all the slaves fighting and dying in the city. Looking down at the baby in her arms she turned her back on the Pitt, and with a heavy heart limped toward the train yard beyond the bridge.

She soon found the hand car that had carried her north, and after securing Marie and their supplies on it began to work the lever. Valeria worried about leaving Marie in the cryo-crib too long, but knew she had little choice if she intended to put some distance between them and pursuit. Among the supplies Ashur cached was a bag of cloth diapers and several cans of Mama Dolce Infant Formula. There was also a pamphlet extolling the virtues of the cryo-crib accompanied by images of perfectly coiffed housewives in spring dresses cooking and cleaning while their infants peacefully slumbered. In the back was a warning in tiny letters that extended use could result in neurological damage.

Once they returned to the wastes, the wind had begun to blow incessantly. With the wastelands devoid of covering vegetation, massive dust storms began to shroud everything in a thick tan fog. When Valeria finally took Marie out of the crib, the little girl immediately began to wail. Back in Vault 101, Valeria had taken the Home Economics course all girls had to take. Aside from the basics of cooking and cleaning, she also learned how to change and care for infants. The problem was that there were no real babies to practice with, and dolls did little to prepare her for the real thing.

For days, Marie alternated between crying and sleeping as Valeria frantically tried to tend to the infant while watching for attacks and trying to keep the hand car moving. She was grateful for the clouds of dust that hid them from predators. Finally the day came when Marie was wailing and Valeria had tried everything she could think of to make the baby stop. Suddenly, the lack of sleep and the stress of constant vigilance were too much and Valeria seized the tightly swaddled infant and screamed. Once she started she couldn't stop, and all the fear and anger she had suppressed since she fled the vault exploded out of her in one long howl of anguish. Spent, Valeria bent over Marie with tears welling from her eyes for the first time in months. Valeria cried for several minutes before she realized that Marie was silent. Opening her eyes, she found the little girl's wide brown eyes staring into hers with solemn fascination. With a cough, Valeria wiped her face and started to laugh as she hugged Marie.

After that moment, it was still difficult and dangerous, but Marie was no longer a demanding screaming burden, but a little person who Valeria had to care for and protect. By the time the two of them had reached the last train tunnel, Valeria was getting a feel for Marie's rhythms, and starting to recognize subtle differences in her cries. Valeria had also found a mostly intact teddy bear in a ruin they had sheltered in, which Marie seemed to find great comfort in chewing on.

Valeria was starting to wonder what she'd do once she returned to the Capital Wasteland. Her father's trail was months cold, and she knew she couldn't take Marie wandering in the wastes. With no idea where to take her, Valeria had begun to wonder if she could raise Marie herself. Perhaps she could find some isolated place where they both could be safe. As she had been told, Marie seemed to be immune to disease and radiation, so perhaps some place no one else would go? Valeria had never considered having a family of her own, she was always too different to think it was possible. For the first time she thought she understood why her father had gone to Vault 101.

Then she had a thought that chilled her. What would she say when Marie eventually asked about her parents? Her father never answered her questions except in generalities, and Valeria knew she couldn't do the same. Deserving or not, Marie's parents died by her hand, and nothing would ever change that fact.

Without her Pipboy, Valeria would have been completely lost. The constant storm made it impossible to make out landmarks, and Valeria had never traveled the northern DC wasteland. Valeria's stamina was beginning to wane when she finally came to a ruined cluster of buildings near an old metro. Night was beginning to fall, and she knew from experience that darkness would be total. She descended into the shadows until she came to wall of collapsed rubble. She turned the crib off and lifted out Marie, shielding from the storm outside with her own body. Valeria fed and changed her, then held the baby in her arms until they both fell asleep with the wind roaring outside.

Marie woke them both up with a sneeze. Valeria opened the last can of formula and mixed a bottle for Marie who greedily gulped it down. She than wrapped Marie in the blanket and placed her back in the crib.

"Shit! What do we have here?" Valeria whirled, grabbing her Sledge and saw a man in heavy combat armor and a mask pointing a rifle at her.

"You're that mutant from the Vault!" He exclaimed. "There can't be two freaks like you running around!" He raised his rifle and added. "Guess I get to keep the bounty!"

Valeria was frantic with the realization that Marie was exposed and any gunfire could kill her. Before the bounty hunter could fire, she leaped at him knocking him to the ground before bringing her hammer down with all her strength.

Valeria searched the dead mercenary noting he had a white talon emblazoned on his breastplate as she found a holodisk. She seized the disk and whirled as she heard shouts of "Over here!" Valeria ran to Marie and closed the crib muffling her cries. She then picked up the crib and ran into the storm hoping to lose their pursuers in the swirling dust. She could hear bullets tearing past her as she tried to leap the boulders that appeared in her path. Suddenly the ground dropped away and she skidded to a stop at the edge of a cliff. Behind her she heard a shout of "Keep firing!" Desperately she turned to shield Marie as she looked for anyplace to jump. Still advancing the bounty hunters got her range and fired another volley. Valeria shuddered from the impact of the rounds, and clutching Marie's crib fell into churning cloud below.

"Time for a story Marie." Valeria said to the little girl lying in the crib. Marie was swaddled tightly as she stared up at the mobile of little red rockets rotating above her. Valeria spotted the book titled "You're SPECIAL" in the lap of Marie's teddy bear on the floor. Valeria stooped to pick it up when Marie started to fuss.

"What is it Marie? Are you hungry?" She looked around and saw a bottle on a table nearby.

"You're not going to feed that to my daughter!" Valeria turned and saw Sandra standing behind her, her arms crossed and blood staining the front of her lab coat.

"It's okay." Valeria said hurriedly. "I'm only using formula and purified Vault water."

"Really?" Sandra sneered. "I'm her mother, how could you possibly know what Marie needs?"

"You were trying to kill me!" Valeria said, shaking her head in confusion. "I was drugged, I didn't mean for it to happen!"

"And that makes it better you monster!" Sandra shrieked. "Look what you're trying to feed Marie!"

Valeria looked down and saw a bloodpack in her hand. She shook her head in denial.

"I didn't mean to!" Valeria sobbed as she fell to her knees, her eyes squeezed shut as Marie's cries filled the air around her. Suddenly the pure tones of a violin cut through the shrieks and the world went dark.

Valeria awoke to a ceiling shrouded in shadows with the sound of the violin still around her. She turned her head to see she was lying on a steel bed covered by a dingy mattress. She was in a sparsely furnished room lit by a lantern hanging from the wall. Next to it was an old woman in a Brahmin hide dress playing a violin over Marie's crib.

Valeria pulled herself to a sitting position, wincing at the pain of her wounds. At the sound, the woman stopped playing and turned around.

"Oh, you're awake." She said. "When Crow brought you here you looked like something the cat dragged in."

"Where am I?" Valeria asked as she looked around the small shack.

"You're in my home." Replied the old woman. "Excuse my manners, I don't meet many new faces out here. My name is Agatha."

"Valeria, and that's Marie." She added gesturing toward the crib.

"So that's the little darling's name." Said Agatha smiling at Marie. She carefully set the violin and bow down on a nearby desk and held out her hand to Valeria. "I'm very pleased to meet you."

"How did I get here?" Valeria asked releasing the old woman's hand.

"Traders stop by on their routes for some music." Agatha explained. "Crow's a tribal and a pretty odd fellow. He said you were lying in the rocks at the base of a cliff shot full of holes. He said he wouldn't have found you if it hadn't been for Marie's crying." She turned again to smile at the sleeping infant before continuing.

"You were all kinds of lucky Crow got to you before anything else did. He said it looked like you took the fall for Marie." Agatha chuckled. "He said you bore the mark of one who was hunted, but that it wasn't your time to go to the spirit." Agatha shook her head. "Like I said, he's an odd one."

"This Crow brought me here with Marie?" Valeria asked.

"Yes." Agatha replied. "He couldn't take you with him, but he said I had nothing to fear from you. At first I wasn't sure about that, but you were in such a bad way, and poor little Marie didn't have anyone else."

"Are we in a settlement?" Valeria wondered looking around.

"No, just me out here." Agatha replied. "My late husband built this house so we would be hidden from the raiders and mutants. Only the caravans know about this place, and they stop by to deliver supplies."

Valeria looked around the shack noting the Captain Cosmos poster and a teddy bear lying next to Marie's crib that appeared in better condition then the one she found in the wastes. Agatha noted Valeria's gaze and smiled sadly.

"We got that bear years ago when we thought…Well, we never had any children of our own." Agatha explained with a sigh. "I never could bring myself to throw it away."

Valeria looked down at her armor, and then around for her other gear. "Did I have anything else with me?" She asked Agatha.

"Your things are over there with the metal boxes." Agatha said pointing to an old surgical screen sectioning off part of the shack. "They also found you with this." She added, picking up a holotape from the desk and handing it to Valeria. Valeria accessed it with her Pipboy and read a bounty of one thousand caps if her head was delivered as proof she had been killed. There was no name signed to it, and Valeria set it down on the bed. There had been no mistake; she had stumbled on a team of mercenaries who had a contract to kill her.

"I was attacked by soldiers with a white claw on their armor." Valeria said, looking up at Agatha.

"A white claw?" Agatha thought a moment then said. "The traders made some mention of a group of mercenaries with that sign. They call themselves 'Talon Company'. They say they're a bad bunch."

The mercenaries that attacked her had been well armed and accurate even in the storm. Who wanted her dead badly enough to hire professional killers? Was Wernher coming after her? He had contacts with the slavers that could extend his reach to the Capital Wasteland.

"Are the slavers a problem?" Valeria asked.

"Not for me." Agatha admitted. "But the traders say they've raided out of Paradise Falls a lot more lately."

Valeria shook her head and slowly stood from the bed. After her experience in the Pitt, she had no trouble attacking slavers. If Eulogy Jones had put the price on her for Wernher, she was going to shut him down. She walked over to Marie's crib and looked down at the sleeping little girl.

"Turns out she loves violin music." Agatha said hesitantly as Valeria stared down at the crib. "Puts her right to sleep."

"There is something I have to do." Valeria said, not looking up from the crib. "Can I leave Marie with you…until I get back?"

"Of course." Agatha replied. "I have what's left of that formula you brought, and I'll have Doc Hoff bring some Brahmin milk by on his next shipment."

"Thank you." Valeria said as she looked up to meet Agatha's eyes. "I was wondering…"

"What dear?"

"Could you…play the music Marie likes?"

"Of course." Agatha replied with a smile as she picked up her instrument, waited for Valeria to sit, and then touched the bow to the strings.


	14. Chapter 14

Night had fallen over Paradise Falls as Forty strode with his customary scowl between the sandbag walls fortifying the entrance to the main gate. The fortified path was the main defense for the slaver stronghold, allowing Grouse and Richter, the only guards a series of positions to fall back to if they came under attack. Of course, Eulogy didn't expect the two to last long against anything able to challenge the slavers, but they were sufficient to raise an alarm.

Forty was in a bad mood as he approached the remote post lit by a lone burn barrel. The dust storms had finally ended and the slavers were celebrating in the main courtyard with a Brahmin roast and free booze. Normally they had to pay the bartender, Frank for their drinks, but Ymir had killed him after accusing him of watering the booze. True or not, the liquor was flowing freely and Forty was missing it.

Suddenly he stopped and snarled as he raised his rifle. The guard post before him was empty, and Forty knew that even Grouse and Richter weren't stupid enough to abandon their post. Confident that his heavy armor and assault rife were more then a match for any lurking threats, Forty stepped out of the pool of flickering firelight and into the gathering darkness beyond the last sandbag wall. He almost tripped over the bodies of the guards where they had been laid side by side in the shadow of an old billboard announcing "Paradise Falls" in huge white letters.

Forty swore as he looked at the dead slavers, then his eyes widened as he belatedly realized why their bodies had been concealed. Swearing continuously, Forty backed toward the feeble light of the burn barrel, his eyes darting about as he looked for any movement in the darkness. Then he heard a sound from above, and jerking around he saw a huge shadow detach from the roof of an adjacent ruin. Too late he attempted to aim his weapon as the shadow hurtled down upon him.

Within Paradise Falls, Eulogy Jones leaned on the railing of the second story of the ancient movie theatre now serving as his personal quarters. He watched the slavers carousing below as Clover and Crimson stood a respectful distance behind him glaring at each other. The two brainwashed slaves spent most of their time bickering as they competed for his favor, which normally amused him. He was not in the mood this night, and the two women sensed it and kept silent.

Recently Eulogy had contacted a group of mercenaries called Talon Company that had appeared recently in the Capital Wasteland. The Supermutants persisted in raiding into the wastes, and Eulogy realized that it was becoming cost prohibitive to use his slavers to hunt them down. Talon Company wasn't cheap, but to hire them to eradicate the troublesome mutants was an acceptable long-term investment for the Slave Lord. That had lessened the pressure on supply, but demand was now suffering. It had been over a month since Eulogy had received any word from the Pitt, and word was that there had been a coup that went sour. Eulogy had plenty of choice merchandise in the pens, but now had to seek out new buyers. He angrily flicked his cigarette over the railing and turned to enter the theatre.

Across the parking lot now serving as the main courtyard for Paradise Falls, Gunner scowled as he sat and watched the celebration below, his feet propped on his mini-gun. His post on the watchtower represented the main defense of the compound. With a commanding view of the courtyard, his mini-gun would rain death on anyone suicidal enough to get through the main gate. The problem was that nobody was stupid enough to try, and he ended up spending his time doing nothing except intimidate the rare visitor to Paradise Falls. Briefly Eulogy had been sending him out with the kill teams in their hunt for Supermutant raiders. All too soon that ended when Eulogy hired Talon Company to hunt the mutants.

Gunner swore as he watched the Slave Lord enter his pad with his two bodyguards. He had hoped he would be allowed to join the party, but it looked like he was going to be stuck on guard duty once again. Suddenly there was a bang and the steel tower shook from an impact. Gunner swore and started to turn when he felt a huge arm encircle his neck in a crushing grip. Gunner frantically fumbled for his revolver as he strained for air, then his head was savagely twisted to the side and with a wet crunch he went limp.

Valeria crouched and waited for any sign that she had been spotted from the slavers below. After killing the guards outside she had climbed to the top of the wall and made her way over the rooftops of the former shops. It clearly had never occurred to the slavers that anyone would try that route, and there were no sentries or lights. Valeria looked out over the compound where the slavers were still celebrating, then looked at the minigun. She had never fired one before, but with her great strength was able to lift it easily. After a quick examination Valeria aimed the massive weapon over the railing and with a snarl pressed the firing button.

The slavers were caught completely by surprise as Valeria swung the gun back and forth, scything through them with a hail of lead. Bewildered by the unexpected attack, the slavers found that they were in a trapped in the open, trying frantically to return fire as they ran for any cover. Jotun and Ymir tried to rush the tower and also went down in a cloud of dust and tracers. Feeling fierce exaltation, Valeria fired the gun until the barrels began to smoke and glow red. Suddenly it went silent, and Valeria dropped the empty weapon and looked over the corpse-strewn lot, her chest heaving with emotion. She then vaulted over the railing to the courtyard twenty feet below. Unslinging her hammer, she started toward the movie theater. She was walking in a haze of fury, her mind filled with images of slaves slaughtered in the Pitt, and slavers laughing in the darkness as they entered her cell. Almost shaking with hatred, Valeria knew she wasn't going to stop until every murdering monster in Paradise Falls was dead.

As she passed the bodies of Jotun and Ymir, the eyes of one opened. Ymir turned his head and saw Valeria backlit against the bonfire as she walked to Eulogy's Pad. Certain he wasn't being watched; he pushed the corpse of his son off him. When the mutant had strafed them, his Jotun's armor clad body shielded Ymir from most of the bullets. Now he stood, ignoring the pain of his injuries as he lifted his hammer. The freak was going to pay for what she did to his boy. With a bloodthirsty grin on his bearded lips, the huge slaver limped after Valeria.

Valeria opened the double doors and faced a lobby with two doorways flanking a concessions counter. A cluster of glowing fungi was sprouting near the entrance casting a sickly green glow over peeling pre-war recruitment posters. Valeria cautiously approached the opening on the left, from which a flickering white light was visible.

The chamber beyond was once the theater, now bare of all but a few benches. Two rows of columns supported the ceiling and flanked a sprawling pile of velvet sheets and blankets. The light came from an ancient projector casting a spotlight on a skeleton hanging upside down on the far wall. Seeing yet another symbol of slaver cruelty, Valeria bared her teeth and gripped her hammer until her knuckles turned white. Across the chamber she could make out another door in the shadows, and began to stride toward it.

No sooner did her boot sink into the velvet pile than the blankets erupted upwards as Clover shrieked and pulled both triggers on her shotgun. Valeria reeled backwards as the buckshot tore into her and Clover cursed as she realized she had fired too soon, dispersing her shot. She stumbled backward trying to reload when Crimson came shrieking out of the far door swinging a Chinese sword. Valeria threw her hammer up to block as her new opponent hacked at her.

Clover had reloaded and was trying to maneuver into position to fire without hitting her ally. Crimson suddenly changed tactics and thrust her sword at Valeria's chest. She jerked the haft of her hammer down, deflecting the thrust so it instead went into her side. Valeria shrieked as Crimson laughed and yanked her sword out, but before she could thrust again her head exploded in a shower of gore. Across the room, Eulogy Jones swore as he tried to aim his Magnum for another shot, but Valeria dove behind one of the pillars as it was pitted by a blast of buckshot from Clover's gun.

Not wanting to expose himself further, Eulogy waited for Clover to flush the mutant out. Suddenly there was a roar from the lobby as Ymir charged into the room, his hammer raised. Valeria flung her hammer up to block as the huge slaver's weapon came down. The impact almost jolted the hammer from her hands, and she leaped back avoiding his second swing. Ymir laughed maniacally as he continued to smash his sledge at Valeria. Unable to get a clear shot, Clover cursed with frustration as Eulogy fired and missed.

Valeria and Ymir whirled and smashed their hammers at each other, dodging and blocking as they tried to find an opening. Valeria was stronger and more agile, but Ymir was more experienced and heavily armored. Valeria felt her back hit the wall as Ymir laughed with triumph and swung his hammer in a huge overhead strike. Valeria blocked, locking the heads together with an explosive crack. For a moment the two stood frozen and straining as Ymir tried to use his greater leverage to drive Valeria to her knees. Snarling, Valeria stood her ground and began to force their hammers back. Realizing she was stronger, Ymir spat in Valeria's eyes and smashed his forehead into her face. Blinded Valeria reeled backward and tripped as Ymir flung her hammer away with a shout of triumph. Half blinded by blood, Valeria looked up as his hammer came down, and rolled to the side as it smashed into the floor with an explosion of stone fragments. Wrenching his weapon out of the floor, Ymir tried to bring it up for another blow when Valeria lunged forward and drove her shoulder into his stomach.

Ymir sprawled to the ground and before he could rise Valeria was on him locking her hands around his throat. Clover leveled her shotgun at Valeria's back when Ymir drove his fist into Valeria's face, wrenching her over to the floor as the shotgun blasted the wall above them. Feeling the thick leather collar protecting his neck collapsing, Ymir tried to pull her hands free, then punched her again in the face. Her face covered with blood, Valeria's eyes blazed as she shrieked and closed her fists with all her strength and wrenched his body up as Clover fired her shotgun again. Ymir jerked as he was blasted with buckshot, then Valeria flung his corpse aside.

Her gun empty, Clover flung it at Valeria and dove for the sword lying near the bed. She seized the hilt when Valeria's bloodstained hand slammed down on top of hers, pinning it to the floor. Clover looked up in time to see Valeria's armored forearm coming down on her head, smashing her skull and spraying the velvet sheets with blood. A bullet screamed off her pauldron, and Valeria flung her forearm up to protect her face as Eulogy emptied his magnum at her.

Swearing, Eulogy ejected the spent cartridges and grabbed his speed loader as Valeria dove for her hammer. Her hands closed on the handle when Eulogy slammed the cylinder back and he raised the weapon to aim. In that second, Valeria realized she couldn't cross the room before Eulogy fired, and with a shriek of effort whirled about and flung her hammer. Eulogy got off one round before forty pounds of steel smashed into his chest, hurling him into the wall. The dying slave lord of Paradise falls slowly slid to the floor, his gun falling from nerveless fingers.

Valeria stood weaving on her feet as her rage subsided and she began to feel her injuries. Looking about, she saw the body of Clover lying nearby. Valeria realized that in her eagerness for revenge she had slaughtered all the slavers and murdered to slaves. And even worse, she had enjoyed it. Suddenly a wave of self-loathing swept over her and she fell to her hands and knees. Tears began to fall on the bloody sheets as the guilt she'd buried since she fled the Pitt clawed its way out of her in a scream of anguish as Eulogy Jones stared at her with sightless eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

The former slaves had been silent as they left the pens, their jubilation at being freed tempered by the carnage they saw in the courtyard. As they began searching the bodies for weapons and supplies, Valeria looked for medical supplies in the outbuildings. She was completely exhausted, and the pain from her wounds was not fading as quickly as usual. Valeria finally found a cache of medical supplies in a small dark clinic, but no evidence of a doctor. She suspected Red had provided medical care in return for the slavers leaving Big Town alone. Valeria searched until she found an unused bloodpack, drained it, than collapsed on a mattress in the corner.

It was pre-dawn when she left Paradise Falls. The slaves had been grateful for being rescued, but she also saw fear and apprehension in their eyes. Deeply ashamed of what she had done, Valeria preferred not to meet or speak with any of the people she had saved. She had almost reached the gate when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she saw a little girl run out of the shadows and stop breathlessly before her.

"I just wanted to say thanks for rescuing us."

With a sad smile, Valeria knelt to meet her eyes, and was surprised by a hug. After a second, Valeria returned the embrace, feeling tears start to sting her eyes. Valeria finally let go and stood up as the little girl turned back to the compound.

"Bye Mungo!" She shouted, than vanished into the darkness.

Valeria trudged along the ancient roadway bowing her head against the moaning wind as she resigned herself to what she had to do. During the battle with the slavers, Valeria had felt a wild exaltation that she could only describe as…joy. In Agatha's hidden refuge Marie had a chance at a normal life. All Valeria could offer was constant danger, and not just from the wastes. More than ever, she had to know what was happening to her and only her father could answer her questions. It had been so long since she left the Vault she knew it was a futile attempt, but she had to try and there was only one place she could go.

Moira was sweeping when the door opened and a towering figure stepped inside.

"Valeria!" Moira exclaimed in delight. "I thought you were dead or worse!"

"Hi Moira." Valeria replied as she pulled her bandana off her nose and mouth.

"Did you deliver Lucy's message? What happened out there? Did you have any experiences I can use for my book? Oh do tell me!" Valeria smiled at the eccentric inventor's enthusiasm.

"I delivered the message to Lucy's brother, and he's fine." Valeria replied, visions of the grim battle in the dark flashing in her mind's eye. "I had a run in with slavers and got taken up north to the Pitt…Pittsburgh."

"Wow!" Moira exclaimed. "Firsthand experience of a community founded outside the capital wasteland. You have to tell me all about it!"

"Maybe later Moira. I'm not going to stay long, I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for me."

"You're welcome dear. You gave me a lot of research material, so I'll call us even."

After shaking Moira's hand, Valeria left Craterside Supply and climbed the ramps toward Moriarty's Saloon.

Moriarty was sitting at the counter with a bottle of whiskey while Gob stood behind the counter, checking inventory. The prostitute Nova was leaning against the back wall, and was the first to look up when Valeria entered. Moriarty glanced over his shoulder then looked away with a smirk as he took a swig from the bottle. Valeria approached the bar and looked down at Moriarty. Gob opened his mouth to give his customary greeting, than closed it when he realized that Valeria's was looking only at Moriarty.

"You got something to say, or do you want your ass beat?" Moriarty snapped as he glanced at Valeria. In reply, Valeria reached into a bag and pulled out a large handful of caps, which she dropped on the counter.

"One hundred caps Moriarty." She said. "That was your price to tell me where my father went."

"That was months ago." Moriarty replied with a smirk. "Daddy is long gone."

"Tell me where he went."

"All right." Moriarty replied with a shrug. "James came in here looking for information and heard that loudmouth Three Dog on the radio. He asked where he broadcasted from and Gob told him it was from Galaxy News Radio in the DC ruins. As soon as he heard that James took off."

"Where in the ruins?"

"Sorry lassie, that costs extra."

Valeria glared at Moriarty, and started to reach into her bag when she noticed Gob. The ghoul's mouth had opened as if he was about to say something, before glancing furtively at Moriarty.

"How much does Gob owe you?" Valeria asked quietly.

"None of your fucking business."

"I'm making it my business." Valeria said with an edge creeping into her voice. "I'll pay his debt, so how much?"

"More then you've got lassie, so drop it if you know what's good for you."

Valeria took the bag of caps off her belt and dropped it in front of Moriarty, then leaned down.

"Maybe you've heard." She said, her voice low and deadly. "I don't like slavers, and I don't like people who keep them in business."

Moriarty didn't get where he was by being stupid, and he knew how to read people. The mutant wasn't bluffing, and he sensed he was dangerously near to having to defend himself in his own bar. He shifted slightly on the stool as he briefly considered going for his gun. Then he noted her massive arms and realized Valeria had no need to reach for her hammer

"All right." Moriarty drawled with feigned nonchalance. "You want the fucking ghoul, he's yours. Too many freaks around here anyway." Moriarty turned away to hide the rage in his eyes as Valeria approached the astonished ghoul.

"Gob. Let's go."

Gob was silent as they left Moriarty's, and didn't speak until Valeria stopped in front of Megaton's main gate.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but why did you do that? Nobody's ever stuck their neck out for me since I left Underworld."

"I need your help Gob. You said you were trying to get to GNR when you were captured. I assumed you knew the way."

"You freed me to get directions?" Gob asked incredulously.

"No." Valeria replied shaking her head. "I know what it's like to be a slave, and I'll never stand by if there's anything I can do about it. You're also one of the few people who didn't treat me like a freak after this…happened." Valeria gestured at herself as she remembered the parade of citizens who came to gawk while she worked at Craterside Supply.

"You didn't give me any shit for how I look, I just returned the favor." Gob looked at Valeria, his decaying face grim.

"You backed Moriarty down, and he's never going to forget it. Megaton's not safe for either of us now."

Valeria looked down in shame. "I'm sorry Gob, I didn't think about the consequences when I threatened Moriarty." Her mouth tightened as she added. "That's been happening too much lately."

"Don't be sorry." Gob rasped. "It's about time someone got me off my ass and into "the good fight. Whenever you're ready to go, I'm ready."

Gob had few possessions, so soon Valeria was leading the way down to the Farragut West metro station on the opposite bank of the Potomac River. As they entered the darkness of the crumbling subway, Gob hesitated as he looked back across the river to where the top of Megaton was barely visible behind a hill. Then Gob shook his head and followed Valeria through the gate.

They traveled through the groaning darkness of the tunnels with only the light of Valeria's Pipboy to guide them. Gob was unarmed and clearly very nervous as Valeria led them through abandoned tunnels and railway platforms. Finally they came to a cavernous chamber covered with platforms and silent escalators leading to a second level above the crumbling passenger trains.

"Looks like Metro Central." Gob whispered. "If we can find an old metro map maybe we can figure out where to go from here."

"You're not sure?"

"It's been awhile." Gob replied as he rubbed his patchy scalp. "GNR is near the Tenleytown station, so if we can head there we should be okay."

Valeria nodded and after scanning the thick shadows of the lower level, led Gob to the upper platform. There, among the rusting benches and rubble, they found an information kiosk, the map faint but still readable. Valeria and Gob examined it under the glow of her Pipboy, and Gob began to trace some of the lines with his finger as he muttered to himself. Suddenly a hoarse cry echoed throughout the station, answered by others elsewhere in the darkness.

"Damn!" Gob exclaimed. "I hoped we wouldn't run into any ferals down here!"

"Ferals?" Valeria asked as she stood and readied her hammer.

"Ghouls that have gone crazy. They give the rest of us ghouls a bad name."

Suddenly the sound of bare feet slapping on concrete echoed around them, as well as an eager panting sound.

"Get behind me!" Valeria shouted as an emaciated ghoul leaped from the darkness, its fleshless jaws gaping as it slashed at Valeria with its bony claws. Valeria blocked its attack with her hammer, and then with a swift snap smashed the pommel into the ghoul's face. Blood and brains splattered as the ghoul's corpse fell spasming to the ground. Then the shadows around Gob and Valeria erupted with more ghouls charging at them. Valeria whirled, scattering the ghouls with wide sweeps of her hammer. The ghouls continued to charge, trying to overwhelm Valeria but only succeeding in scattering the floor with their bodies. Suddenly, as soon as it began the attack ended, and the remaining ghouls shambled into the darkness.

Gob got to his feet from behind the kiosk where he had taken cover.

"Damn Val." Was all he said as he looked about at the slaughter as Valeria approached breathing hard as she slung her hammer.

"We need to get moving before they come back. Do you know where Tenleytown is?"

"I think so Val. This way." Gob pointed to an escalator and the two descended to the main platform before entering another tunnel. All around them they could hear the furtive scurrying of the ghouls as they followed beyond the dim radius of Valeria's Pipboy light. The footing was treacherous with piles of rubble and twisted steel covering the floor where the ceiling had collapsed. Valeria and Gob tried to move cautiously, but with the constant awareness of pursuit they were almost running when they finally reached a steel gate with a corroded brass sign announcing the Tenlytown stations exit.

Valeria pushed the gate open with a rusty screech and waited for Gob before shoving it closed again. She then turned to Gob.

"Hopefully that will slow them down. I don't know what we're walking into so stay back and let me do the fighting."

"You don't have to tell me twice smoothskin." Gob replied, looking doubtfully at the heavy gate.

Before them was a staircase leading up into looming ruins of the former capital of the United States. The sky above the stairs was dark with clouds and approaching twilight, showing how long they had been underground. They could also hear the clatter of automatic weapon fire and the hum of laser weapons. As Gob crouched behind the wall, Valeria peered around the corner. Four supermutants were firing at a small group of armored figures crouched in the ruins. As Valeria watched, a laser bolt speared a mutant through the forehead, dropping it.

"Hot potato!" A mutant shouted as it flung a grenade. Before the explosion ceased echoing through the ruins, Valeria charged. Caught by surprise a mutant went down with a shattered skull before the remaining two realized they were being attacked. Bellowing with rage, the mutants turned and fired their rifles at Valeria as she swept her hammer upward. Her blow caught a mutant on the chin, shattering its jaw and flinging it to the pavement. Valeria whirled to face the last mutant as it was cut down by laser fire from the ruins.

"Don't move!" Shouted a female voice from the shadows. Three figures rose from cover to slowly walk toward Valeria, their weapons raised. A striking young woman in bulky power armor led the group, which consisted of a stern faced man in power armor and a woman in lighter recon armor. All three stopped as she raised her hand then pointed her rifle at Valeria.

"You helped us with the supermutants, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but cause any trouble you'll be shot. Understand?"

Valeria nodded, and then the other two soldiers snapped their weapons to a point behind her.

"Don't shoot!" She heard Gob shout.

"He's with me." Valeria said quickly. "I'm Valeria and that's Gob. We're trying to get to GNR and Gob is my guide."

"Then we have the same mission." The blond woman replied. "I'm Sarah Lyons of the Lyon's Pride." She jerked her chin over her shoulder. "This is Paladin Vargas and initiate Reddin. GNR is under siege by the supermutants and we have been sent to relieve the garrison." As if in response, gunfire erupted from further in the ruins causing the three knights to look toward the sounds of battle.

"You can follow if you want." Sarah said turning back toward Valeria. "But don't get in our way." She turned to the woman in recon armor and snapped.

"Reddin, stick with Vargas and keep your mouth shut!"

"Yes sir." Reddin replied as the three knights began to run toward a darkened alley. Valeria unslung her hammer and turned to Gob.

"Looks like we have to fight our way to GNR. Our best chance will be to go with the Pride. I'll lead the way, you stay back."

"Those guys are the Brotherhood of Steel." Gob observed. "They shot first and asked questions later when we ran into them outside of Underworld."

"They haven't shot at us yet." Valeria replied. "And under the circumstances I think we have to trust them."

"Whatever." Gob said with a shrug. "You're leading, so it's your call. Just don't be surprised if they decide the only good mutants are dead ones." Valeria nodded, then turned and started to run after the Pride.


	16. Chapter 16

Surviving the atomic holocaust like a straw in a tornado, the Galaxy News Radio building sat in a valley of concrete and rusting steel with the only access through the gutted remains of an elementary school. Supermutants were now using the remains of the second floor as battlements to fire into the GNR plaza. The Brotherhood Knights were being driven back to the last sandbagged redoubt as the mutants showered the plaza with rockets and machinegun fire. Then a squad of the hulking mutants charged into the plaza flinging grenades and howling as they fired at the beleaguered knights.

The lower level of the school was clear when the Pride entered through the shattered remains of a playground. Focused on their assault, the mutants in the school were unaware of the threat to their rear. Sarah crouched and raised an armored fist in the air, causing Vargas and Reddin to also drop. She peered into the school, than made a series of quick gestures, glancing back to see their nods of understanding. Then Sarah stood and led them into the ruin.

Valeria didn't think Sarah was one to make idle threats and stayed back a respectful distance with Gob as the Pride made their way through the ruin, holding their fire even as the backs of the mutants on the wall were visible from below. An explosion from the Plaza lit the smoke-filled gloom like a flash of lightning and the mutants roared and laughed with triumph as the Pride ascended a staircase to the second floor. Sarah stepped back and gestured for Reddin to take the lead before making a pulling motion with her fist. Reddin nodded and crouched down while Sarah and Vargas readied their weapons. Valeria crouched at the bottom of the stairs and pulled Gob down with her as the Pride opened fire.

The Supermutants on the wall were caught completely by surprise as the Pride's concentrated fire cut them down one by one. Sarah fired over Reddin's head with Vargas providing cover fire as they reloaded. The continuous stream of fire burned down one mutant after another, even when they finally realized they had been flanked and tried to shoot back, their efforts hampered by their own numbers. Soon all the mutants in the school lay dead, and the Pride then turned their weapons on the mutants in the Plaza.

Another explosion roared into the sky as the remaining mutants realized they were caught in a crossfire. Howling they ran back toward the school as the Pride continued to methodically cut them down. Only one mutant, a giant brute naked to the waist and wielding its empty rifle like a club made it through the doorway and found itself facing Valeria. She ducked the mutant's swing and drove the pommel of the hammer into its abdomen. The mutant reeled back and Valeria used the opening to bring her hammer down on its head.

The surviving knights rose from their positions and several approached the school while the others began to check their fallen comrades. Sarah led the way into the Plaza, which was strewn with rubble around a broken fountain surmounted by a corroded brass statue of a rocket orbiting the earth. Flames from burning cars spread radioactive smoke over the bodies of Brotherhood Knights and supermutants.

"Hail Sentinel." A knight announced as he saluted Sarah. He then noticed Valeria and Gob and raised his rifle slightly, his suspicion evident even through his helmet.

"At ease sergeant." Sarah replied then noted the direction of his gaze. "A couple of strays we picked up on 42nd, what's the situation?"

"The Supermutants have been pushing on all fronts Sentinel. We've been able to hold this position, but the attacks have become more frequent and the mutants are using heavier weapons."

"Intel reports that a force of mercenaries called Talon Company has been hunting them. The additional pressure may be making them desperate."

"This position may become impossible to hold without increasing the size of the garrison."

"We need this outpost sergeant, I'll speak to my father about sending whatever forces we can spare."

Suddenly there was a whoop as Reddin, unable to restrain herself any longer, fired her rifle into the air.

"Reddin!" Vargas snapped. "You want to draw every ugly in DC to our position?"

"Oh come on! We just kicked their asses!"

"Focus!" Vargas ordered. "We need to check the perimeter. You head east, I'll go south."

"Yes sir." Reddin replied as she turned and began to walk in front of the school. Suddenly a roar thundered from the ruins, followed by a blinding flash. With a roar of atomic fire, the gutted façade of the school blew out in a shower of rubble, scattering bodies both living and dead before it. Shaking his head as flaming debris rained down around him, Vargas tried to stand when the hulk of a car erupted from the cloud of fire flipping end over end. Stunned and hampered by his armor, Vargas tried to leap back as the car smashed into the street pinning his legs. Vargas gritted his teeth with pain as he tried to free himself from the wreck.

Suddenly Reddin was at his side trying to pull him free. Looking above her, he saw a huge shadow loom out of the radioactive smoke.

"Behemoth!" Vargas shouted. "Reddin! Get out of here!"

"No sir! I'm not leaving you!"

The behemoth roared and Reddin whirled, opening fire with a scream. The giant mutant bellowed and swung a huge club flinging Reddin across the plaza like a rag doll. Vargas desperately grabbed for his rifle, finding it just out of reach as the mutant raised its club again. Suddenly Valeria leaped over Vargas, bounding off the car and hurling herself at the behemoth. The giant bellowed in surprise and staggered back from Valeria's assault as Vargas redoubled his efforts to get free.

Sarah and the surviving knights opened fire as Valeria dodged the mutant's blows, trying to find an opening. Suddenly the mutant roared as a beam hit it in the neck, and seeing her chance Valeria drove her hammer into the mutant's knee. With a howl it swung its club as Valeria tried to leap clear, swatting her across the plaza into the wall of the GNR building. The behemoth then turned and with a roar seized the flaming wreck of a car and flung it at the advancing squad of knights. Sarah dove forward as the wreck hurtled overhead, smashing into the pavement and scattering the knights in an explosion of fire and twisted metal.

Sarah climbed to her feet as the behemoth howled in rage and began to stride toward her. With flaming debris still raining down around her, Sarah opened fire knowing she had no chance of escape. Then with a desperate lunge, Vargas managed to seize the stock of his rifle and immediately emptied its power cell into the behemoth's back. His efforts threw off the mutant's aim and its club smashed the concrete in an explosion of stone shards as Sarah flung herself to the side. Growling, the behemoth turned to face its new opponent and began to limp toward the pinned knight as Vargas frantically tried to reload.

Valeria lay gasping with agony on the stairs to GNR as her radiated body fought to heal itself. Suddenly Gob was beside her taking her arm and pulling her to her feet. Staggering upright, half blinded by blood running down her face, Valeria saw the behemoth was almost upon Vargas. Pushing Gob away, Valeria screamed and let the power of her rage course through her as she began to run down the stairs.

The behemoth loomed over Vargas, roaring as it raised its club when Valeria leaped onto the fountain and launched herself into the air. Her hammer came down on the back of the behemoth's head in one terrible impact. The behemoth howled and backhanded Valeria before crashing to its knees, blood pouring from its ears. The mutant was growling in pain and confusion as it blinked its tiny eyes trying to focus on its enemies. Climbing to her feet, Sarah saw her chance and threw her rifle to her shoulder. The behemoth roared as Sarah fired one blast after another into its face, swatting its hands as if trying to dispel flies. Then a laser bolt entered the mutant's left eye and with a final roar it smashed to the ground dead.

Valeria lay gasping on the shattered concrete, trying to breathe while Gob knelt by her side and looked anxiously into her face.

"Val! Are you okay?" Valeria opened her eyes and forced a smile at the ghoul.

"I'm…okay." She replied. "It looks a lot…worse then it…feels." She tried to laugh and began to cough instead.

"Wow Valeria." Gob said shaking his head. "I've never seen anything like that. Moriarty didn't have a clue what he was fucking with."

At that moment, the remains of the school collapsed with a roar filling the plaza with dust and smoke. With Gob's help Valeria got to her feet and she began to limp heavily toward Vargas and Sarah. Valeria was used to pain, she had experienced a lot lately, but this time it wasn't going away.

With Sarah and another knight's help, Vargas had already freed himself from the car and was sitting on the pavement.

"I ordered her to get out of there." Vargas said to Sarah as Valeria and Gob approached. "The dumb kid tried to save me anyway."

"She died well." Sarah replied. "In the end it is all we can really hope for." Raising her voice, Sarah added. "Let it be known that Paladin Reddin passed her test!"

"Sure." Vargas replied as he got painfully to his feet. "There better be something to drink in this place." With the help of a knight, Vargas limped toward Galaxy News as Sarah turned to face Valeria and Gob.

"That was truly heroic Valeria, you have my thanks." Sarah said holding out her hand.

"I just did what I had to." Valeria replied with a weak smile as she clasped the knight's hand.

"Perhaps. You also have the thanks of the Brotherhood and have permission to enter the GNR garrison." Valeria nodded and with Gob's help, made her way to the stairs.

The interior of GNR was lit by portable spotlights and fortified by walls of sandbags. Apparently it wasn't the first time the Brotherhood had to fall back to a second line of defense inside the building. The heavily armed knights watched her climb the stairs to the second landing, expressionless behind their helmets. By the time they had reached a second staircase to the third floor, Valeria was able to walk without support, but still felt sick and lightheaded. At the top of the stairs on the third floor stood a man wearing dark glasses and a head wrap with a wide smile on his dark bearded face.

"Welcome to Galaxy News!" He announced. "I am Three Dog, spinner of disks and speaker of truth!"

Taken aback by the flamboyant greeting, Valeria stood speechless for a moment while Gob stood behind her in awkward silence.

"Finally! I get to meet the kid from Vault 101, the hero of the Capital Wasteland!"

"You know who I am?" Valeria asked in astonishment.

"I have my sources." Three Dog replied. "But don't sell yourself short. You deep sixed the atom bomb in Megaton, put the slavers out of business in Paradise Falls, and even stood up for the little folks of Big Town." Three Dog gestured at Valeria and added. "Besides, you stand out in a crowd."

"I'm not a hero." Valeria said shaking her head as memories of the Pitt and Paradise Falls flashed in her mind.

"Is she always this modest?" Three Dog asked turning to Gob.

"Uh, yeah." Gob replied, surprised at being addressed. "I've seen her in action and I still can't believe what she can do."

"Three Dog." Valeria interrupted, uncomfortable with the conversation. "I'm looking for my father and I believe he was coming here."

"You heard right, although James didn't mention he had a daughter." He looked dubiously at Valeria's huge frame as he waited for her answer.

"I didn't always look like this." Valeria said. "My father knows something about what's happening to me. I have to find him if he's still alive."

"He was here a few months ago. Came in with a caravan wanting to get an update on what was what in the wasteland. He asked questions about everything until he got to Dr. Madison Li."

"Madison Li?"

"She runs the council of Rivet City and keeps a research facility in that rusty old tub. Once your dad heard that, he was hitching a ride with the next caravan heading south."

"Then that's… where I need to go." Valeria felt like she was going to faint, and shook her head to clear it. She then turned and put her hand on Gob's shoulder.

"This is Gob, a friend." Gob looked at Valeria in surprise as she struggled to finish. "Is there any place for him at GNR?"

Gob's mouth fell open as Three Dog appraised him. "I owe you big for saving GNR from the muties. What do you say Gob, want to join the good fight?"

"Work with you at GNR?" Gob said looking stunned. "Sure I would, but…" The ghoul turned and looked up at Valeria. "But I owe Valeria for getting me out of Moriarty's."

"You don't owe me…anything." Valeria said shaking her head. "You helped me…get here and now I have a…clue where to look for my father." Suddenly the room seemed to go gray as the dizziness Valeria had been fighting returned.

"Here, you can do real…lasting good…Gob." Valeria put her hand to her forehead as Gob stepped forward. "All I do is kill people…too many people." Gob was trying to say something to her, but she could only see his mouth move. "The world needs…real heroes Gob…Not monsters like…"

Valeria tried to finish but suddenly the world went dark as she collapsed to the floor.


	17. Chapter 17

Valeria's eyes opened to a dark paneled room lit by flickering torchlight. She was on a bed partially hidden by a surgical screen and covered only with a sheet. She felt weak but alert and slowly turned her head to look at the room. Valeria saw a male ghoul in a blood-spattered shirt standing at a window illuminated by a burning white glow.

"Oh you're awake." Said a female ghoul with wisps of red hair as she stepped to Valeria's side. She touched Valeria's forehead with her wrist, then took her pulse with dry scabious fingers.

"Where am I?" Valeria croaked.

"You're in Underworld." Rasped the ghoul near the window as he turned and approached Valeria's bed. "Specifically, you're in the 'Chop Shop', the closest thing to an ER in the DC ruins."

"Who are you?"

"I'm doctor Barrows, and this is nurse Graves." Graves smiled and stepped back to give Barrows room to examine Valeria. He flashed a small light into her eyes and nodded.

"You've been out for almost three days." Barrows stood back as Valeria slowly sat up, holding the sheet in front of her.

"You caused a stir. Normally the Brotherhood assholes just shoot at us. For a change, they knocked on the door and asked for help. We wouldn't have let them in, but Gob was with them so we gave them benefit of the doubt. They carried you in here, than Gob went to see Carol before the Brotherhood returned to GNR. He wanted to stay with you, but there was no way he was getting through the ruins without an escort. The Brotherhood may be assholes, but they're damn good at what they do."

"What happened to me?"

Barrows pulled a chair over to Valeria's bedside and sat down.

"I'll start by saying that I'm the foremost authority on mutations in the Capital Wasteland. From quirks that make people slightly resistant to radiation to creating Glowing Ones." He nodded toward the window and Valeria turned to see the skeletal face of a ghoul staring at her, the bones of its skull backlit by a burning white glow emanating from its flesh.

"I'm hoping to find what genetic factor curses us to this decaying form, that's what makes studying you such an incredible opportunity. You seem to have all the resistances of ghouls without all the side effects. You also have the muscle mass and bone density of a Supermutant, but you're obviously smarter than those knuckle draggers and you aren't a neuter. Finally you have a system optimized for the consumption of human tissue like some of the wasteland cannibals."

"How did you know that?" Valeria asked with alarm.

"I took some tissue samples, and you did a lot of talking while you were delirious. Nothing too horrible, but you did mention that you've tried to subsist on bloodpacks. Since they contain human plasma you get a lot of bang for your buck, but not enough to sustain the stresses you've put on yourself. The strain of healing from your latest injuries was too much and you crashed."

"Am I ok now?" Valeria asked after a moment's hesitation.

Barrows shrugged, "For now. However, if you don't eat properly you'll crash again, and the next one could be fatal."

"Properly?"

"You need a lot of dense protein, namely meat, as well as blood. You clearly respond the best to human tissue, but you clearly have objections to that. The bloodpacks will be fine, but you need to supplement them with raw meat."

"Raw?" Valeria asked looking uneasy.

"You're adapted to be a carnivore, not an omnivore. Denatured protein will do some good, but it looks like raw and runny is what your system needs." Valeria looked down at her clawed hands, her face unreadable.

"After what you did for Gob, you will always be welcome in Underworld. You can stay as long as you like, but for now I'm giving you a clean bill of health."

"I need to get to Rivet City as soon as possible, what is the most direct route from here?" Valeria asked after a long pause.

"The best bet used to be the Metro entrance in front of Underworld, but the fighting collapsed some of the tunnels. The next best thing would probably be the Museum Metro, but that has its own problems."

"What problems?" Asked Valeria.

"In order to get there you have to cross the no-man's land between the Supermutants at the Capital Building and the Brotherhood forces at the Washington monument. Things have gotten so hot out there we haven't been able to leave Underworld to scavenge. We figure they can't keep it up forever, so we're just laying low until one or both sides give up."

"I can't wait." Valeria said grimly as she carefully got to her feet. "I've lost too much time as it is."

"It's your funeral." Barrows said with a shrug. "Nurse Graves will get your gear for you."

After leaving the Chop Shop, Valeria found that Underworld was a pre-war art museum decorated with a theme based on "The Inferno". The centerpiece of the exhibit was a towering sculpture of damned souls climbing each other in a macabre pyramid. Valeria stopped to look up at the sculpture as the ghouls went about on their daily business. She found it ironic that all the images of torment and hopelessness were decorating the ghouls refuge.

Night was falling when Valeria stepped out of the museum doors into the Capital Mall. Already she could see and hear the sounds of battle. Beyond the escalators of the museum metro, Val could see mounds of dirt heaped into berms before a zigzagging network of trenches. The supermutants were using the cover of darkness to launch an assault on the Washington monument. She could see their massive forms moving between the trenches, lit by muzzle flashes and exploding rockets.

Valeria realized that the time to cross no man's land was while the supermutants were focused on their attack. As she watched the furious assault, she briefly considered heading to the Washington monument and proceeding under the protection of the Brotherhood. She quickly dismissed the idea with a grim shake of her head. In the dim light, the knights would probably mistake her for a Supermutant. At best they would imprison her, at worst they would try to kill her.

Realizing she had no choice, Valeria pulled out her sledge and sprinted toward the trenches. Bullets and laser beams hissed and whizzed about her as she reached the edge of a ditch and leaped over the side. She hit the ground in the middle of a squad of mutants making their way to the surface. With no time to curse her luck, Valeria hurled herself forward, knocking a mutant to the side with her shoulder as explosions showered her with debris. Ahead she could see a door behind a sandbag emplacement with a dead Brotherhood knight sprawled over it. Nearby were several mutant corpses, one with a machine gun still clutched in its fists. Valeria leaped over the sandbags, wrenched the gun free then whirled to spray the trench with bullets. The mutants following her roared and bellowed, reeling back as she emptied the rifle then spun to kick the door open.

Charging forward into a tunnel dimly lit by a lantern, Val surprised a huge mutant carrying grenades. Without slowing, Valeria slammed it into the wall. The mutant bellowed and smashed her to the ground before staggering under a hail of bullets from Valeria's other pursuers. As the dying mutant slid to the ground, Valeria grabbed a grenade and flung it down the tunnel. She then dove for the door as an explosion filled the air with smoke. The door flew open and Valeria rolled into a crouch as an exploding rocket lit the darkness. In the flash she saw she was in another trench with no mutants visible. Valeria turned and leaped on the berm and with a heave pulled herself over the top.

Before her were the ruins of the mall, lit by flashes laser fire. Valeria could see the domed structure of a metro entrance and sprinted toward it as lasers from somewhere in the trenches vaporized the concrete around her feet. Valeria didn't slow at the stairs, hurling herself through the gate into the darkness below. Panting, Valeria listened for sounds of pursuit as she checked herself for wounds. Amazingly she found that she had crossed the battlefield with only minor scrapes and cuts. Valeria waited until her breathing slowed, then stood and started down the tunnel into the groaning darkness.

Valeria traveled warily through the dark tunnels, looking and listening for the tell-tale sounds of ghouls. For unknown reasons, she found the tunnels empty and dark although she did find the remains of a raider camp splattered with dried blood, but empty of bodies. Finally she found the gate to Anacostia station and stepped through to the motionless escalator beyond. The air above ground smelled of rot and the sea, and the evening sky framed the groaning black mass of Rivet City.

Rivet City proved to be the rusting hulk of a derelict aircraft carrier sunk in the radiated water of the Potomac. A metal structure lit by streetlights provided the means to reach a long steel bridge held aloft by the ship's loading crane. Valeria was halfway across when a tall armored guard challenged her.

"That's far enough mutant! Turn back or you're dead."

"I'm not here to make trouble." Valeria answered as she slowly raised her hands. "I want to speak to Dr. Madison Li."

"You don't sound like a supermutant," The guard admitted, "but you sure as hell don't look human so keep your hands where I can see them."

"I need to speak to Dr Li, could you please let me in?"

"Hmm," the guard mused, "Polite, and you know about Dr. Li. All right, I'm curious. I'll take you to her, but don't try anything."

Valeria nodded and approached, not doubting he meant what he said. The guard waited as she walked past him, then slung his rifle and followed her.

"I'm Valeria."

"Harkness. Keep walking."

Harkness directed them through the groaning interior of the ship, but his guidance wasn't needed as there were signs pointing the way at every corridor junction. As they walked through the narrow steel corridors they passed guards and rivet city citizens, all of whom regarded Valeria with shock. A little girl in a green dress ran around a corner and stopped with a squeak, her eyes round with surprise.

"Wow you're big!" she exclaimed before running past.

Finally they arrived at the aft hanger deck and Harkness directed her along a steel balcony to a staircase leading down. The cavernous hanger had been converted to lab space with monitors and instruments sharing space with massive boilers hissing steam.

Standing at a table taking notes on a clipboard was an attractive older woman wearing a lab coat and glasses. Engrossed in her work, Dr Li didn't turn around until they stopped a few feet from her. Realizing she was not alone, she turned and snapped, "Yes what is it?" She looked up at Valeria's face and staggered back a step, her mouth open with shock.

"What…who are you?"

"My name is Valeria. I'm looking for my father, James."

"James?" Dr. Li said in confusion, and then she noted the pipboy on Valeria's wrist, and looked back at her face.

"Catherine…" Dr. Li said, her face turning pale. "You look like her." Dr. Li put her gloved hand to her forehead as she fought for composure.

"Doctor?" asked Harkness, "Do you need me to escort this… person from the ship?" Dr. Li looked at Harkness, noticing him for the first time, then straightened and said, "No, I don't think that will be necessary." She looked from Valeria's massive frame to her face and added, "I think the security nearby will be sufficient, thank you for you concern."

Harkness nodded and gave Valeria a hard look before walking to the stairs. Dr. Li waited a moment then said, "If you are indeed James' daughter, then how is it that you're here? According to James, you were someplace safe."

"I was…until my father left Vault 101 and the overseer went mad." Dr. Li looked intently into Valeria's face and said, "I didn't mention a vault. Perhaps you are who you say you are. You may have a strong facial resemblance to Catherine, but the rest of you is…inhuman."

"I started mutating after I was driven out of the Vault. Part of the reason I'm trying to find my father is to ask him why."

"Understandable, but all I can tell you is that he arrived here about four months ago." She shook her head. "It had been nineteen years, and he suddenly appeared talking about Project Purity as if it was yesterday."

"Project Purity?"

"It was Catherine and James' dream, to find a way to clean the radiated water of the Potomac Basin. He was so passionate, you almost couldn't help but share his vision." Dr. Li smiled at the memory.

"Back then there was a scientific community on this ship led by Pinkerton. James and Catherine arrived looking for recruits to join them in the Jefferson Memorial. A few of us left, especially since Pinkerton was so…difficult." Dr. Li frowned then continued.

"Financing and security were provided by a mercenary called lieutenant Autumn, who was as passionate about the project as James was. We made progress, but we needed a breakthrough that never came. Then there was tension between James and Autumn, which got worse when Catherine became pregnant. One day, James told us to gather for a meeting without telling Autumn or his security personnel. The meeting never happened. Your mother went into premature labor and we had to do an emergency delivery. We did our best, but we didn't have adequate medical supplies. Catherine lost so much blood she went into cardiac arrest. You were three months premature, but somehow you stayed alive." Dr. Li stopped and looked thoughtfully at Valeria, then continued.

"James was devastated. I asked him what he wanted to tell us, but he said it was better that we didn't know. He disappeared with you that night, after sabotaging most of our research. Lieutenant Autumn was furious when he found out, but your father couldn't be found. He questioned us all…at some length, but when it became clear that we didn't know anything he let us go."

Dr. Li sighed and rubbed her forehead. "After that we salvaged what we could and I took the team back to Rivet City. Lieutenant Autumn disappeared, and I built a new life for myself."

"What did my father want?" Dr. Li looked up at Valeria and smiled wryly.

"I thought he was going to ask me to join him at Project Purity again, but all he asked for was the database I kept from an old Vault Tec archive. I hardly ever looked at it; he was lucky I still had it. It was mostly requisition forms and personnel assignments, as well as a map of some old vault sites. Your father said he was looking for one assignment in particular, the vault that Dr. Stanislaus Braun was assigned to."

"Which Vault?"

"Vault 112, although it's probably been looted or destroyed by now. Your father was desperate to find some way to continue his work, and was hoping some scraps of knowledge left behind might be the breakthrough he was looking for. I tried to talk him out of it, he had sacrificed enough for that damn project, but he wouldn't be swayed. Your father can be very stubborn."

"I have to find him Dr. Li." Valeria said urgently. "Can you show me how to get to Vault 112?"


	18. Chapter 18

Valeria pushed her goggles up as she looked at the entrance to Vault 112. The coördinates on her Pipboy had guided her through the wastes along the shattered remains of the DC highways until she finally stood before a single story building surrounded by wrecked cars. Above the rusting bay door the name "Smith Caseys" was inscribed in large capital letters.

Valeria checked her Pipboy again and saw she wasn't mistaken. The coördinates given by Dr. Li ended at the garage. She looked up at the setting sun and realized that correct or not she needed to find shelter. She had pushed herself to the limit climbing mountains of concrete and rebar and leaping gaps in the towering roadways that were all that remained of the elevated highways crossing DC. Traveling high above the wastes allowed her to avoid its human and inhuman marauders but she was battered and exhausted.

There was only one door, which Valeria forced open with a shove. Inside she found an empty office and another door leading to a dark workbay. A rusting car sat on a rack in the center, but everything else of value gone. Valeria didn't see any other doors or stairs and with growing frustration headed back to the office to see if she had missed anything. This time as she neared the door, her Pipboy began to click. Surprised, she looked at her wrist and saw a stream of commands scroll across the screen. Behind her she heard a hum, and turning saw a section of floor slide aside revealing a staircase leading down into the darkness. Valeria looked at her now inactive Pipboy, than readied her hammer and descended the stairs.

At the bottom she found a dark tunnel, which was suddenly lit by humming fluorescent lights. It ended at a massive vault door inscribed with the number "112". Valeria stared almost disbelieving what she was seeing. Then she stepped up to the door panel and began to work the controls. The massive portal opened with a screech of metal on metal and Valeria stepped through into a spotless and brightly lit interior. Although it appeared empty, Valeria kept her hammer ready as she walked to the only other door. She had almost reached it when the door rolled back and sealed with a boom.

Valeria turned to enter the hallway and found herself facing the cylindrical form of a robot; its humanlike brain visible inside a glass dome. Light flashed through the gel filled dome as a monotone female voice said, "Welcome vault resident, please remove all exterior devices and proceed to the tranquility loungers." Valeria relaxed slightly as the robot turned and rolled down the hall on its triangular treads.

Vault 112 proved completely unlike Vault 101. Valeria soon found there was only a large central chamber with twelve canopied pods arranged around a two-story column covered with cables and monitors. A railed catwalk circled the chamber and allowed access to storage room and labs adjoining the central hub. All were locked with computerized locks, which Valeria soon found had been hacked. She felt excitement building as she realized she had found evidence that her father may have been there. There were few in the wasteland that could hack computers, and she knew he was one of those few.

Finally her search brought her to the Overseer's office, again finding the Robco locking system hacked and open. Inside was a pod identical to the ones in the central chamber, and a computer monitor on a desk. A flickering light was visible through the walls of the canopy, illuminating the immobile face of an old man in a vault jumpsuit, staring unblinking at a monochrome monitor. Electrodes extended from the back of his chair to his head at the hairline and temples. Valeria peered through the glass and saw no reaction from its occupant. She then approached the computer and pressed the power button. The screen began to glow green as the words "Welcome Dr. Braun" appeared. Then a list of names scrolled across the screen, "Toucan Lagoon", "Slalom Chalet", "Tranquility Lane", and "Failsafe".

Valeria stared thoughtfully at the last name, and then typed it into the command prompt; her talon like nails clicking on the keys. The screen immediately went dark except for the flashing words "Connection Terminated". Valeria frowned then turned to look at the man in the pod. There was nothing else in the office, so Valeria left to explore the central chamber.

The Pods were all facing the central pillar, connected by thick rubber cables snaking across the floor. Valeria looked in the first pod and found it empty. The second pod contained a woman staring blankly at a monitor, her shaved head covered with electrodes. Valeria saw that there was a ring of monitors on the central column, each facing a pod. The monitor facing the pod she just examined listed the name "Martha Simpson" and displayed her vital readings and stress level as normal. Valeria walked around the pillar reading the other monitors. The names were Bill Foster, Janet and Roger Rockwell, George, Pat and Timothy Neusbaum, Mabel and George Henderson, and Teresa Dithers. Teresa's readings were different, showing a highly elevated stress level. Valeria turned and looked at the woman in the pod, and saw the same blank expression the other pod occupants showed.

The next monitor only showed "Occupant Unknown", with higher stress but not to the same degree as Dithers. Valeria approached the pod and peering within saw her father staring into the screen. At the sight of his face, Valeria choked back a sob as she pressed her palms to the glass. The image of her father had been frozen in her mind as he had been in the Vault. Now he was bearded, his face darkened by the harsh wasteland sun, and instead of a white lab coat he was wearing a heavy trader's jacket.

Valeria briefly considered freeing her father by smashing the pod. She decided against it as she saw the electrodes connecting him to the machine. She suspected that severing the connections to the machine would be catastrophic for the occupant. She could see no injuries or signs of damage to James's clothes, so it was clear he had entered the Pod willingly. Her father had found Vault 112 and felt the only way to continue was to enter one of the pods. Valeria kissed her fingertips and pressed them against the glass, before turning to one of the remaining Pods.

The Pod was a tight fit, so she left her sledge on the floor before climbing in. The lid hummed as it closed over her, and she felt the probes attach to her scalp with an electric tingle. A black and white monitor descended before her face, and seemed to expand until her whole world was occupied with a test pattern. Only faintly aware of her body, still sitting in the lounger, Valeria followed her father into the machine.

After a moment of disorientation, Valeria found herself standing in the middle of a playground on a hill surrounded by a ring of pavement and an additional ring of identical two-story houses. A wet nose pressed into her hand and a tongue licked her fingers. Valeria looked down to see a large dog looking up at her, panting. She was much shorter and wearing a child's play dress. She couldn't tell what color it was because everything she saw was a shade of black, white, and gray. Directly in front of her was another little girl, also in a dress with bows in her hair.

"Oh, someone new!" She said with delight. "My name's Betty, and we're going to have such fun!"

"I'm not here to play." Valeria replied in a childish voice. "I'm looking for my father, James." Betty's eyes narrowed as she peered into Valeria's face.

"Curious, your hair and eyes are white, and I never mentioned any 'James'."

Betty held her chin in her hand and regarded Valeria intently, all the while whistling an odd tune. "Fascinating," she finally said, "You seem to have altered the basic parameters of the simulation." Betty smiled and clapped her hands, "Superb! It has been centuries since I've dealt with anyone with true free will! Oh the fun we will have!"

"When I looked at the Pods, I didn't see any 'Betty' on the monitors. You're Stanislaus Braun, aren't you?"

"At your service." Braun replied with a curtsey. "I applaud your intuition. I have been dealing with the same imbeciles for over two hundred years; only their deaths amuse me now. It is invigorating to speak to someone without predicting every insipid word."

"Who are these people Braun?"

"Them?" Braun replied waving her hand dismissively, "They represent the finest minds of the pre-war world." Her childlike voice dripped with sarcasm as she continued. "Vault 112 was meant to preserve the genius of the age from the atomic holocaust. Preserved within cryogenic stasis, their minds would be honed and preserved from madness by virtual simulations and challenges. One day, when the earth stabilized, they would emerge to give the gift of their knowledge to mankind." Braun snorted derisively then giggled.

"At least that was what they thought. Naturally I was on the committee to select who the chosen would be. I made sure only those whose hubris made their existence intolerable were selected."

"How were they intolerable?"

"They had the arrogance to challenge my position as the pre-eminent mind of the age! The Neusbaums, a family of physicists, claimed my theories of terraforming with the GECK didn't take enough variables into account. They insisted the results would be dangerously unstable. The temerity!" Braun's voice began to rise with rage.

"And now you torture them."

"Of course." Replied Braun, "The world is ashes, they have no use except for my amusement. Especially Teresa Dithers a pre-eminent psychologist and the most vocal critic of my sociological experiments with the Vaults. I don't know how she became aware of the virtual state she is in, but now she can serve as a subject in a new experiment. The other subjects have their memories wiped when the simulation resets, but with her the process seems imperfect. It will be interesting to see how long before her mind snaps. A psychologist driven mad, delicious irony, isn't it?"

"Where is my father Braun?" Valeria grated.

"Quite close, but you will never see him unless you play a game with me. It's quite simple, make Timmy Neusbaum cry, then return here."

"And if I refuse?"

"You can if you want, it doesn't matter in the end." Said Braun with a smile. "Now that you are in cryogenic stasis, you will never age, starve, or dehydrate. Of course you can't shield your mind in ignorance like the other inhabitants, so you might go mad. You will play my game, it's inevitable."

Valeria turned and walked off the hill as Braun smiled and began watering flowers, whistling the same odd tune as before. Valeria walked around the street, reading the names on the mailboxes and nodding as the residents cheerfully waved to her as she passed. The only difference in the row of neat white houses was a strangely overgrown vacant lot. It was an anomaly in the scenes of domestic perfection. The grass was tall, and she could see trash scattered about. She noted a bottle, a pitcher, a garden gnome, a cinder block, and an old radio. Beside her the dog whined and Valeria patted his head as she continued walking.

When the mailbox read "T. Dithers", she opened the gate and knocked on the front door. There was no answer, even after the second knock. Valeria reached for the knob when the door opened. An old woman in a spring dress peered through the partly opened door and gasped.

"Who are you?" she asked in bewilderment. "You shouldn't be here. You can't be here!"

"My name is Valeria. I'm trying to find my father. Can you help me?"

Dithers looked furtively about, and then said, "He'll kill me again, somehow. He kills everyone then brings them back to do it again."

"How does he kill everyone?"

"Accidents," whispered Dithers, "It's always accidents. I have to find the failsafe, it's the only way this madness will end!"

"The failsafe?"

"Yes, a program designed to end the simulation. I don't know what it does, but it's the only way to stop him!" Dithers shuddered, and muttered, "I've found it before, but I can never stop him. Why can't I stop him? Why can't I remember what happens?" Lost in her rambling Dithers turned away and closed the door.

An undetermined time later, Valeria crouched next to the vacant lot, staring at its frustrating emptiness. The dog, which she now called "Butch", sat next to her panting. Tranquility Lane proved to have a monotonous sameness about it, an unrelenting parade of perfection. The sun never set, the day always a balmy afternoon. Without the cycle of night and day, or the necessity of bodily functions it was impossible to judge how much time had passed. Valeria's Pipboy was now a wristwatch with a Vaultboy icon always pointing to 2:55.

Braun never left the playground; apparently content to watch the comings and goings of the other subjects. Valeria had found she could enter the other houses easily; the inhabitants simply regarded her as a normal part of their reality and largely ignored her. All the houses were sparsely furnished and antiseptically clean with no sign that anyone actually lived in them.

Valeria had tried Dithers door again and found it open, her house empty. Nobody else in Tranquility Lane seemed the least concerned about Teresa's disappearance, saying only that she was an "odd one" and cheerfully changing the subject.

The only other inhabitant that seemed faintly aware was "Timmy" Neusbaum, a young boy in the simulation. When Valeria asked him about Betty, he suddenly looked frightened and said, "She's mean." He then looked toward the playground as Betty's odd whistling stopped. She was watching them and smiling. With a look of terror, Tim turned and ran. After that Valeria only saw him peeking out the windows of the Neusbaum's home.

Valeria found herself humming the same tune that Betty whistled incessantly. Gritting her teeth with rage, she stood up startling Butch. Valeria stomped to the garden gnome and kicked it. To her astonishment the gnome didn't budge, instead giving off a musical note. She glanced over at Butch, who was standing at the sidewalk whining softly. The dog was clearly distressed and unwilling to enter the lot. Valeria turned back to the gnome and touched it, again hearing the note. She turned and looked at the other litter, then tried to pick up the Nuka-Cola bottle. It too wouldn't budge, and made a note in a different pitch.

Valeria touched all the litter in the lot, finding that they all gave different notes. She stood among them her chin on her fist thinking. She then looked toward the playground. She quietly whistled Betty's tune, then began to touch the objects, listening to their pitch. When she thought she had it right, she quickly touched the objects in the sequence of radio, pitcher, gnome, pitcher, cinderblock, gnome, and bottle.

Suddenly the sky went dark and the air shimmered like rippling water. The world stabilized and she found herself in a dark house. She was in a living room thick with shadows and strewn with toppled furniture. She turned and saw an entire wall filled with computer banks centered by a monitor. Lying before it was the charred corpse of a woman. Valeria recognized the pattern on the charred remnants of the body's dress and realized she was looking at the remains of Teresa Dithers.

The monitor flickered to life as Valeria approached, the words "Welcome Doctor Braun" crawling across the screen. Valeria watched the menu screen appear, then began to type on the keyboard. When she selected the "Failsafe" option she read a document, written by General Constantine Chase dated before the war. The General was secretly giving Dr. Braun a combat simulation created without safety protocols. Braun clearly meant to use it as an elaborate form of suicide for himself and all the inhabitants of Vault 112, should the burden of eternity become unbearable.

Valeria was now faced with one option in the middle of the screen, "Activate Simulation: Chinese Invasion." Clearly all that was needed was to press the enter key and the simulation would launch. Valeria hesitated, was this truly the only way, as Dithers thought? Maybe Dithers wanted to die, but Valeria didn't, and her hand began to pull back when a shrill voice shrieked, "Stop!"

Valeria turned to see Braun her face contorted with rage.

"You fool, if you activate that console, everyone will die including you and your father!"

Valeria snarled and clenched her fists as Braun smiled, her composure restored.

"I was almost impressed you made it this far, but now it's time for you to join Dithers."

Valeria heard a roaring sound and whirled to see a Mr. Handy robot, a hissing nozzle pointed at her. Flame erupted from the robot as Valeria flung herself to the side, her hair and dress igniting. Valeria screamed as she rolled on the floor, desperately trying to put the fire out as the robot floated toward her, its saw arm extended. Fighting through the agony of her burns, Valeria scrambled behind a fallen couch as the robot began to saw through it.

"You might as well stop fighting." Braun said calmly from atop the stairs where she had taken refuge. "Although it will be much more amusing if you don't." The couch fell apart and the robot prepared to bring the blade down in a final slash. Valeria screamed and grabbed the robot's arm. Braun laughed with delight as the saw continued down tearing into Valeria's forehead with a splatter of blood.

Valeria shrieked and the world suddenly rippled. Startled, Braun looked around and then saw Valeria forcing the blade away from her face, her white eyes blazing though a mask of burns and blood. Unable to bring its flamethrower to bear while its arm was held, the robot began to clumsily flail at Valeria with its pincer arm. Still shrieking, Valeria braced her feet against the robot's chassis and pulled. With an explosion of sparks and a spray of lubricant, the saw came free in her hands. Spinning, the robot crashed into the door as Valeria stood and launched herself at it, swinging the saw like an axe. Her first blow severed its optical sensor; the next sent it spinning across the room. Braun watched in consternation as Valeria continued to shriek and beat the spherical robot into scrap. Suddenly, it exploded, blasting the room with shrapnel. Braun shielded her face with her arms, and then lowered them to see Valeria lying in the middle of the room surrounded by flames. Braun smiled at her victory, the moment even sweeter because of Valeria's unexpected resistance. Then her eyes widened with shock as Valeria began to move.

Valeria was half blinded and covered with blood from shrapnel wounds. She weaved on her feet, and then staggered toward the console. She could hear Braun shrieking "No!" But continued to lurch forward. She was almost there, when she felt Braun seize her arm and try to yank her back. Her strength was pouring from her, but she had enough left to lunge forward and slap the keyboard with her free hand. Her thumb hit the enter key, and the world went blinding white. She heard someone howling, than reality shattered like glass.


	19. Chapter 19

Reality returned with disorienting suddenness, leaving Valeria staggered and dizzy. After the monochrome of Tranquility Lane, the return of color was almost blinding. The pain of her wounds had vanished and she was no longer a child, but she was no taller than she had been when she was driven from the vault. She was wearing a thick gray uniform reinforced with white steel plates and was standing in front of the gray canvas wall of a tent. Her breath was freezing in the cold air despite the heaters she could hear humming and rattling about her.

"At ease soldier." A gruff voice said behind her. Valeria turned to see a large black table in front of a broad-shouldered man wearing a trench coat over a gray uniform. Although white-haired, he exuded strength and vigor and had an unmistakable air of command. On the breast of his jacket, Valeria could see the name Chase on one side, and four stars on the other. He scowled as Valeria stared at him and growled, "You may think you're something special, but even paratroops salute a superior officer!" Valeria hesitantly raised her hand to her forehead in a salute, eliciting a tight-lipped nod from the General.

"I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention!" He leaned over the table, which suddenly showed a map of blue lines over a black background. "As you know, the Chinese crossed the Bering Straight and have overrun our positions. They now control the pipeline and set up an induction field around their staging area in the mountains. We have intelligence that massive Chinese reinforcements are on their way to the Strait, making it critical that we regain control of the artillery batteries before they cross. Currently our forces consist of what's left of ALCOM." General Chase angrily bit the end off of a cigar, lit it, and blew a cloud of smoke over the table before continuing.

"The damn Reds caught us with our pants down, now we're barely hanging on while they gather for a final assault to drive us out of Alaska. Canada is refusing to allow us through their airspace, the ungrateful bastards, so our reinforcements will have to come by sea. That will take weeks, even if we can liberate a port for our ships to land. We don't have the manpower for an assault unless we use the new T-51B power suits. The induction field will fry the tin cans, so we have no choice but a commando raid using conventional forces."

Valeria looked at the map as a square highlighted in the mountains to the west. General Chase pointed with his cigar and said, "The Chinese have deployed Chimera tanks, regular troops, and General Jingwei's personal honor guard of Crimson Dragoons. It's possible that a small team can penetrate their defenses and neutralize the induction field. You will be commanding the team on this mission. This is our "Hail Mary" Lieutenant, either you and your team get that field down, or Alaska's lost." General Chase turned off the table and straightened, "Uncle Sam's spent a lot of money turning you into a killing machine, now it's time to pay him back. Dismissed!" Valeria saluted without thinking, then turned and walked to the entrance of the tent.

Valeria hesitated at the door as her situation struck her. She knew she was now in the failsafe, which apparently gave her the opportunity to be killed on a suicide mission given by a General who had been dead over two centuries. She had no idea how restricted her action were in the simulation, so for the moment she knew she had no choice but to follow its rules. Valeria pushed the tent flaps aside and stepped into a frigid arctic blast.

After the darkness of the tent, the harsh sunlight of the "Alaskan" frontier was blinding. She shielded her eyes with her arm and heard a familiar barking. She looked down in astonishment to see Butch running up to her, his tail wagging furiously. She rubbed Butch's ears then started as she heard the report of a rifle. Looking up, she saw a group of gray armored soldiers looking down at the still form of one of their number. Valeria ran to them in time to see the soldier's body glow blue, then flicker out of existence, leaving only a patch of blood on the packed snow.

"What happened?" Valeria asked the other soldiers. They all stood at attention and saluted, their faces anonymous behind gray facemasks.

"I don't know sir." One of the men said. "Private Dithers started saying something about how it was all over, then she…shot herself." Valeria looked around the camp, seeing that none of the other guards or personnel had even glanced at them.

"Are you…the lieutenant sir?" One of the soldiers, a woman, asked hesitantly. Valeria looked over the small group counting seven, four men and three women in the squad.

"Yes…I am." Valeria said, and then turned to the first soldier who had spoken.

"What's your name…soldier?"

"Private Tim Neusbaum sir!"

"What do you remember?" Valeria asked after a moment of silence.

"Sir?"

"It's Valeria. What do you know about what's going on?"

"Alaska's been invaded by the Chinese. We've been assigned to your command sir!"

Valeria looked over the small group, apparently completely unaware that they were still prisoners of Braun's madness. Butch whined as he sat and looked up at Valeria. She glanced down at the dog, and then looked out over the camp toward the snow-capped mountains ringing the valley.

"What are your orders, sir?" Bill Foster asked. Valeria looked at him, straightened and said, "I'm going after General Jingwei, you are all going to stay here until ordered otherwise." Even behind the gray masks and goggles she could see their confusion. Finally Patricia Neusbaum asked, "We were assigned to you sir, why aren't we going?"

"Because this is a suicide mission, and I want you all to live. We've already lost Dithers, I don't want anyone else to die!"

There was a long pause as the wind blew around them, and then Janet Rockwell spoke. "I think I speak for all present sir, but hell no!" The others nodded as she continued, "We're American soldiers sir, we enlisted knowing that our lives were on the line. Our country needs us, and we're not going to sit on the sidelines."

"You all could die!"

"We know that sir," Tim replied, "But either you lead us, or we go without you."

Valeria glared at her "squad" in helpless frustration. As long as they believed they were American soldiers they would fight to liberate Alaska, suicide mission or not. Her only chance to save their lives was to lead them and hope that by completing the simulation they would all be freed. At that moment a soldier approached Valeria, saluted, and announced the quartermaster was ready to issue their weapon requisitions before they reported to the airfield.

In less then an hour they were all sitting in a Vertibird flying over fields of arctic ice toward the Chinese stronghold. Valeria shifted her hold on her special issue Gauss Rifle. When she asked the quartermaster for a close fighting weapon, he gave her a trench knife. When she asked for something heavier, the quartermaster nodded and handed her the Gauss Rifle. She took it, bemused at how the simulation had interpreted her use of the word "heavy". She was told it was a prototype, meant to add some offensive punch to the infantry.

The Vertibird swooped low over some rocky hills, when suddenly there was a blinding flash of light and the cockpit exploded. The pilots vanished in a blue flash, and without control, the Vertibird began to bank sharply.

"Jump!" Valeria shrieked as she grabbed Butch and flung herself out the door. She hit the packed snow tumbling as she shielded Butch with her body. Battered and winded, she looked up as the Vertibird roared over her head and slammed sideways into the mountainside. With a roar, it exploded, showering Valeria with flaming debris. Butch whined and licked her face as she released her hold. Valeria looked around, trying to see if any of the others had survived the crash.

"Everyone ok?" she shouted, her voice flat in the cold air. There was a pause then she began to hear confirmations from around the rocky pass. Soon it was clear that all were accounted for except Roger Rockwell and Martha Simpson. No one had seen them since the crash, and Valeria looked grimly at the flaming wreckage of the Vertibird.

"We need to get to the mining town before the Chinese send a patrol out here." Valeria said as she picked up her rifle.

"I'm not certain they will sir." Said Foster as he limped forward. "That was an energy discharge, probably from a Chimera tank. They're refitted drilling platforms, so they don't have pilots. It's possible the Chinese don't know we're here."

Valeria turned to the rest of the squad and said, "Okay, keep your heads down and be careful, if the Chinese were alerted, we'll know soon enough."

The rest of her team nodded and began to jog toward the mining town. All except Janet Rockwell, who was standing with her head bowed. Valeria placed her hand on her shoulder and asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yes sir," Janet replied, "It's just that…Roger's gone, and I feel like I lost someone very important to me."

"We have to keep moving Janet." Valeria said, not knowing what else to say.

"Yes sir." Janet replied nodding, "I'm sorry, there's no reason I should feel like this, I hardly knew him." She then began to jog to catch up to the group. Valeria gritted her teeth with frustrated rage, then ran to join them, Butch loping at her side.

Valeria and her squad soon reached the town and crouched behind an abandoned railcar.

"Looks deserted sir." Tim whispered.

Valeria peered around the edge of the boxcar at the sandbag reinforced shells of the bombed out buildings. Valeria gestured for her squad to follow her, then ran across the open toward a sandbag emplacement.

As soon as she crouched behind the sandbags, she heard a loud whirring sound. Gesturing downward with her hand, Valeria and the others crouched as low to the ground as they could when a Chimera tank roared past their position, its screws churning a cloud of snow. Valeria kept her arm over Butch, but the dog didn't bark although she could feel him growling. Once again, she was grateful that the simulation gave Butch a high degree of intelligence. The tank stopped at the railroad cars, swinging back and forth as if looking for a way through. Valeria grabbed her Gauss Rifle, hoping the tank would turn and go away from them. To her dismay, she saw it back up, and then begin to turn around.

Throwing the rifle to her shoulder, she pulled the trigger blasting the back of the tank's turret with a supersonic magnetic slug. The tank lurched off a screw as the laser turret was blown apart, and then the machine jerked about and swerved toward them. Unable to reload in time, Valeria dove to side as the rest of the squad scattered. Bill Foster turned and flung a grenade under the oncoming tank before throwing himself over the sandbags. The tank plowed into the barricade, rearing up for a moment as its screws shredded the wall, then fell back as the grenade tore it apart in a smoky explosion.

"If the Chinese don't know we're here now, they never will!" Valeria shouted as she ran toward one of the nearby buildings. Butch ran through the door ahead of her and began to bark excitedly at a stack of crates. Valeria looked at the top one and saw that it contained ammo clips, grenades, and several land mines. For a moment she was puzzled why it was left so carelessly, then remembered they were in a combat simulation. With bodies vanishing as soon as they died, the only way to rearm would be through conveniently located caches.

Valeria and her squad barely had time to reload when they heard shouts in Chinese. Running to one of the holes in the building, Valeria peered out. Before them was an open space dominated by a huge fuel tank and several motionless drilling machines. On the wall surrounding the courtyard, Valeria could make out an improvised guard tower with a sentry looking in their direction. She could also see Chinese troops in the courtyard fanning out to flank their position.

"Cover the windows!" Suddenly an explosion shook the side of the building showering them with debris. Valeria looked out and saw the soldier in the guard tower reloading a rocket launcher. Valeria glanced at her squad and saw them all firing out the windows and over the wall at the oncoming Chinese. Valeria tried to shoot at the soldier in the tower, but firing a BB gun in the Vault had little in common with firing a Gauss Rifle and the shot went wide.

"I'm going after the launcher, cover me!" She shouted dropping the rifle and leaping through the smoking hole in the wall. She hit the ground and sprinted toward the outer wall as another rocket exploded behind her. Desperately hoping her abilities worked in the simulation, Valeria leaped and the world rippled around her. She hurtled up onto the sandbagged wall, and with a heave hurled herself over. The soldier had reloaded his launcher when Valeria dove forward and rammed her trench knife into his abdomen and yanked it up into his chest. The soldier immediately flashed blue and vanished leaving Valeria alone in the tower.

Suddenly another Chimera appeared from behind the giant fuel tank, throwing up clouds of snow from its screws. Valeria watched in horror as it opened fire on her squad's position, raking them with spiraling blasts of laser fire. The walls of the house crumbled from the assault, as Valeria looked for a weapon. The rocket launcher had vanished with its wielder; all she had was a landmine she had taken from the ammo crate. Unhooking it from her belt, she climbed on the wall of the tower. The fire from the house had fallen silent, and the tank was swerving toward her when she leaped.

Hot light seared the air around Valeria as she landed on the turret. Grabbing a support strut, she slammed the magnetic mine onto the tank, and then leaped off. She was still in the air when a fireball erupted behind her, sending her tumbling. Valeria lay stunned, waiting for a tank screw to grind over her but instead felt a warm tongue licking her face. She sat up wincing with pain as Butch whined with concern. She looked past the burning wreck of the tank and saw no sign of the Chinese soldiers. Then out of the ruin of the house she saw her squad emerge. To her dismay she only counted three.

"That was unbelievable sir!" Tim shouted.

"Is this everybody?" Valeria asked quietly.

Tim nodded and said, "When the tank hit us, part of the wall fell on Patricia. George broke cover and tried to pull her free, and the tank got them both." Tim raised his goggles and wiped tears from his eyes with his arm. He covered them again and said, "Sorry sir, I can't seem to stop." Valeria stared at Tim for a moment, but before she could say anything Janet Rockwell embraced him. The two simply stood, silently sharing their inexplicable grief, then Tim broke away.

"I…I'm okay." He said. "What now sir?" Valeria angrily strode past them toward the smoking ruin, looking for her rifle.

"We keep going." She snapped. "There's no way back and the Chinese are alerted. All we can do is move as fast as we can before they figure out what we're up to."

Valeria found her rifle and slung it over her shoulder. "Once we get inside the induction field we won't get attacked by any more tanks. Let's go!"

Valeria and her tiny squad ran from building to building as they approached the mountain fortifications overlooking the mining town. The air began to reek of ozone, and crackle with static. Valeria knew they were getting close to the field generator. As they climbed the stairs to the first tier of defenses, no enemy movement was visible. Valeria couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched.

The first steel door opened before them and they all pointed their weapons into the room beyond. Valeria waved her squad in, and they all fanned out. They found themselves on a platform overlooking a cavernous warehouse stocked with massive artillery rounds. Holding a finger to her lips Valeria gestured toward a series of catwalks leading to the second floor and started cautiously toward them. It was then that she noted that the limp she suffered from the battle was gone. She wondered if the simulation allowed participants to heal quicker, or were her mutations affecting the virtual world in some way?

Butch's barking yanked her back into the moment. Valeria fired her Gauss rifle at a shimmer in the air, which turned into a black armored soldier that was flung into the wall where he flashed out of existence. Valeria heard a scream from Janet, and turned in time to see her grabbing a sword jutting out of her chest. The blade withdrew from her body and she slumped to the floor. With a curse Bill blasted the air where she had been, causing the Dragoon to vanish in a blue flash. He was trying to reload when Tim shouted, "Look out!" He jerked his head around as a camouflaged Dragoon appeared and ran him through the neck. As Bill fell, Valeria leaped forward and slammed her knife between the Dragoon's shoulder blades. She wrenched it out when gunfire from behind made her whirl about to see another Dragoon, riddled with bullets from Tim's rifle falling to the floor.

Valeria grabbed Tim by the shoulder and shoved him toward the stairs. With Butch bounding ahead and Tim close behind, Valeria reloaded as she ran up the stairs. They reached the door at the second floor just as Butch leaped into the room beyond. Two Chinese soldiers were waiting; one went on his back under Butch's assault, shooting the ceiling. The second sprayed the doorway, knocking Tim back into Valeria's arms. Swinging up her gauss rifle one-handed Valeria sent the soldier flying into a control panel, which he slid down before vanishing.

Valeria Pushed Tim into the room and slammed the door control with her other hand. She then took her trench knife and smashed the door mechanism with the pommel. The simulation allowed her to do it, so she hoped it would effectively lock the door. Tim was still alive, and Valeria helped him sit against the wall as she looked for anything that could help.

"I'm hit bad…sir." Tim coughed as Valeria looked down at him in despair. She could hear Butch barking, and she turned to see the dog barking at a conspicuous red button on the control panel.

"That's a… real smart…dog." Tim said. "No wonder the General…let you bring him." Tim tried to laugh but ended up coughing instead. Valeria could hear the Chinese pounding on the door, so she got up and slammed her fist on the button. Through the windows she could see a courtyard with a backdrop of smokestacks from the refinery. Suddenly there was a blue explosion of light and the air sparked and crackled. When the light cleared the smell of ozone was gone, and Valeria knew the induction field was off.

"You…going after…Jingwei?" Tim asked with greater effort. Butch whined and nudged Tim's face with his nose. Valeria nodded, tears stinging her eyes. "I'll buy you…some time." Tim said as he pulled out a grenade.

"Get that bastard for us…Valeria." He said coughing blood as he leaned his head against the wall. Valeria nodded and stood, rage burning within her like a furnace. There was another door out of the control room, and she strode toward it as she jammed the last round into her rifle.


	20. Chapter 20

As Valeria descended the stairs, she began to hear the wailing of an air raid siren. Timothy was badly hurt, but not dead and Valeria desperately hoped she could save him if she ended the simulation somehow. The stairs ended in a small room where two Chinese soldiers were looking through a door into blinding arctic daylight as shouts and gunfire echoed from outside. Valeria vaulted the railing and leaped at the soldiers as they started to turn. She rammed the barrel of her rifle into one soldier's chest, then whirled and drove the stock into the other's masked face. As the soldier fell and flickered out of existence, she drove her heel into the first guard's throat as he tried to push himself from the wall. The last guard vanished and Valeria flattened against the wall and peered outside, Butch crouched at her knees. Before her was the courtyard she had seen from the Field Control Room. It was fortified with sandbags and barbed wire, and overhead she could see the contrails of bombers. Chinese soldiers were shouting and running past her vantage point toward a massive gate.

In the middle of the yard, Valeria saw an American soldier bound and kneeling in the snow. Behind him was a Chinese officer wearing a general's hat and shoulder boards. He was not wearing a facemask, and Valeria saw his mustachioed sneer of disgust as he flourished his sword and ran the American through the back. The soldier vanished and the general who could only be Jingwei, looked up with a haughty disdain. Suddenly, a blinding flash lit the refinery. Jingwei covered his eyes, than lowered his hand, his face contorted with rage as a thundering roar shook the ground. With a howl of fury, he looked wildly about, then ran one of his own soldiers through the chest as he ran by. Jingwei pulled his sword free with a savage wrench and the soldier toppled than vanished in a blue flash. None of the other simulations turned to note their leader's fury, running instead toward the gate leaving him alone in the courtyard.

Valeria entered the courtyard and advanced toward Jingwei, Butch growling at her side. Over the refinery wall she could see the towering mushroom cloud of an atomic blast, the air still shaking with the roar of the detonation. Jingwei looked away from the cloud and saw her approaching, his face twisting into a sneer.

"I told you it was inevitable that you would play my game!" He shouted in German accented English.

"Braun!" Valeria shouted with fury as the air rippled around her. Braun's sneer faltered as he saw the effect he had witnessed in Tranquility Lane.

"Come no closer, or you will never see your father again!"

"Where… is… he?" Valeria rasped, her knuckles white under her gloves as she gripped her rifle.

"Closer then you know fool!" Braun sneered before pointing at the mushroom cloud with his sword.

"You will never find your precious father as long as we are trapped inside General Chase's mad patriotic vision! Atomics were never used in the Anchorage campaign! This is reality scripted the way Chase wanted it! The "Americans" are coming, and the Chinese simulations are helpless against them! He lowered his sword as his confident sneer returned.

"Thanks to you the safeties have been turned off! The only way to prevent all our deaths is to turn the induction field back on!"

As if on cue, there was an explosion from the control room far overhead.

"No!" Braun howled as the stared with fury at the smoke pouring from the distant window. Valeria stepped forward and Braun's eyes widened as he saw the look of berserk wrath on Valeria's face.

"This is for Tim!" Valeria shrieked as she jerked her rifle up and fired point-blank. Braun flew back as if hit by a giant fist, slamming into a sandbag emplacement and crumpling to the ground. Valeria dropped the empty rifle looked up at the control room where Tim had made his stand.

Butch's barking jerked her attention back to the courtyard, where she saw Braun getting to his feet.

"I am a god in this avatar!" He shouted with a maniacal laugh. "I may be doomed, but I'll have the satisfaction of killing you first!" Braun's thumb pushed a button on the hilt of his sword, and the blade ignited with electrical fire.

Valeria shrieked and charged with her trench knife. Braun slashed at her, but Valeria ducked and drove her knife into his abdomen. Braun howled and smashed the hilt of his sword into Valeria's face. Valeria's head exploded with pain as she fell to her knees, then desperately rolled aside as Braun stabbed at her. Braun seemed unaffected by his wounds, while Valeria tried to dodge his blows while half-stunned with pain. Although powerful, Braun was not proficient with his weapon and clumsy with rage, allowing Valeria to evade him while desperately trying to get back to her feet. Suddenly her back hit one of the sandbag emplacements and with a shout of triumph Braun rammed his sword through her into the wall. Pinned, Valeria screamed in agony as she was blasted with electrical fire while Braun laughed, his face contorted with madness and hate.

Suddenly the fire stopped as Braun howled, yanking his sword free. Butch had sunk his teeth into Braun's leg and was tearing at it savagely. With a curse, Braun raised his sword to kill the dog but took his eyes off Valeria. The agony of her injuries had washed away all her self-control in a wave of berserk fury, and seeing her chance she hurled herself at the scientist. Braun howled as she drove her knife into his side again and again in a frenzy of blows. Butch still had his leg with ferocious tenacity as Braun tried to slash at Valeria. Off balance, his blow sizzled through the air over her head as she rammed her knife under his armpit. With a gasp of agony, Braun dropped his sword on the ice where it steamed and hissed as he fell to his knees.

Panting, Valeria raised her knife for a killing blow when Braun spoke through bloody lips. "Vault 112 is…linked to my…vital signs…fool!" Braun began to cough blood as he started to laugh.

"If you kill me…the final failsafe will enact…destroying the vault…along with you and your precious father!" Braun sneered with triumph as Valeria shook with rage. He was still laughing when she suddenly stepped forward and rammed her knife into his throat. Braun's eyes went wide with shock as Valeria kicked him in the chest, tearing her knife free and knocking him to the snow where he flared blue then vanished. Suddenly the world became still and silent, as if a movie had been stopped. Walking toward her through the unnatural stillness was General Chase looking exactly as he did in the command tent.

"At ease soldier." He said, "With General Jingwei dead, our boys can get down to the business of driving the Commies out of Alaska. You passed the test with flying colors,

And showed you've got what it takes to be a member of the finest fighting force in the world. Dismissed!"

Once again the world blazed white, then faded into blackness. Valeria awoke with a start as the top of her VR pod lifted away. All around her was the shrill blare of alarms and the flashing red of emergency lights. She jumped unsteadily out of the pod, disoriented by the unfamiliar sensation of being in her own body. She reached for her hammer. when she heard the pleasant female voice of a robobrain say, "I'm sorry, it is part of my programming to kill you." Valeria ducked as the robot began firing lasers from its flailing claws. She charged, knocking the Robobrain over with a crash then smashing it into smoking ruin.

Then Valeria heard the boom of a shotgun and she saw another Robobrain near an open pod. It too was spraying laser fire as pellets ricocheted off its armor. Valeria ran forward than launched herself into the air, bringing her hammer down on the robot's glass domed brain. With a viscous green liquid spraying, the robot's arms went limp.

Shoving it aside Valeria found herself staring down the barrel of a combat shotgun in her father's hands.

"Valeria?" James asked, his face pale with shock as he looked into her face. Suddenly, more lasers struck the pods near them as a robobrain on the catwalk above opened fire.

"We have to get out of here!" Valeria shouted as she ducked behind the pod.

"No!" James shouted, "We have to get Braun's research or all of this was for nothing!"

Suddenly an automated voice spoke over the Vault's PA system, "Sure Power Geothermal system overload in progress. Cooling systems offline. System failure imminent, please evacuate the facility."

"I have to get to Braun's office before the core shuts down!" James shouted as he ducked under the pod and ran for the door. Valeria hesitated, then followed her father as laser fire splashed off the walls around her. James led Valeria up a flight of stairs and down a corridor to the overseer's office. Inside, Valeria saw Braun slumped in his pod, his unseeing eyes staring at the wildly flickering screen before him. Her father ran to Braun's terminal and hunched over the keyboard.

"It's unlocked we !" James shouted as he accessed the main menu. Valeria ran back to watch the door, as steam began to vent out of the air filtration system.

The PA system repeated its warning as James began to push buttons on his Pipboy. Suddenly the floor shook from explosion deep below the vault. James stared fixedly at the screen as numbers and letters scrolled past, ignoring the sirens and rumblings throughout the complex. An explosion of steam from a hall vent suddenly filled the room with thick fog as James yelled, "Got it!" Valeria glanced back at him then ran into the mist.

The shaking was now constant, and the halls were dark except for the still whirling emergency lights. The Robobrain in the antechamber of the Vault started to issue its warning when Valeria smashed it with two powerful blows. The room beyond was thick with steam as James ran to the door controls and activated them. After several agonizing seconds, during which they could hear an explosion from deep in the complex, the door began to roll aside.

"The controls are malfunctioning, it won't stay open on its own!" James shouted as steam started to billow into the room.

"Open it again then run for it!" Valeria shouted in reply, then turned and ran for the door as it began to roll closed.

Valeria grabbed one of the huge steel cogs and with a scream, and threw all of her might against the door. James squeezed past then ran to the outer door controls. Still shrieking, Valeria tried to stop the door as it inexorably ground into the frame.

"Hang on honey!" James shouted as he frantically worked the controls. Valeria's strength was failing and the cog was pressing against her face when there was a screech and the door began to roll back.

Valeria staggered clear, grabbing her sledge as the door began to roll closed. Her father ran to her side as it slammed shut with a hollow boom. He helped her stagger to her feet and she leaned against him as they both limped toward the stairs. They could still feel vibrations through the floor, but with the massive door closed the death throes of Vault 112 were now silent. Not trusting the walls to contain the destruction of the Vault, James and Valeria traveled through the dark garage as fast as they could until they finally stepped through the door into the cool night air of the wastes.

The moon was almost full, casting it's light on the desolation about them as James doubled over to catch his breath. Valeria leaned on her sledge, no less winded. They stood that way for a time as they gathered themselves, then they looked back at the garage now serving as the tombstone for Vault 112.


	21. Chapter 21

James stood among the ruins of a small town under the shadow of an overpass as dawn began to lighten the sky. His daughter had awoken him several hours earlier to watch while she slept, and he had sat and listened to her deep even breathing. His mind whirling and feeling restless, James had stepped out of the abandoned store they had taken refuge in and stared across the darkened wastes.

In the simulation, he had recognized his daughter immediately. Somehow her face had translated intact into the virtual world. James had seen her courage and resolve as she had fought to escape the trap created by Braun's madness, and couldn't have been prouder of her. However his shock at seeing her radically altered body in the real world had been almost overwhelming. After they had escaped the Vault, Valeria had insisted they press on and find shelter, obviously avoiding any questions. James respected his daughter's desire for silence until she led them to a two-story brick store with the roof torn off. As they faced each other in the darkness, James looked into his daughter's white eyes as they glittered at him in the gloom.

"What happened to you?" He finally asked. "Why did you leave the Vault?"

"Dad…" Valeria replied, wiping her eyes. "The Vault went crazy after you left. I found the Overseer and officer Mack interrogating Amata." Valeria paused at the memory of Amata's terrified face, and Mack's hate filled sneer.

"I…lost it and killed Mack." Valeria said, watching her father's face for the condemnation she was sure would come.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry." James said stepping forward. Valeria held up her hands and shook her head. "After that I had to leave the Vault. It's as if I have a beast inside me. Even when I'm calm I have this…rage affecting everything I do. I've become a monster dad…and I have to know why!" Crying openly, Valeria almost shouted at her father. "You did my physicals, you had to know!"

James watched his daughter's huge shoulders heave with sobs as she tried to regain control of herself. Finally, she lowered her hands and looked down at him, her face anguished.

"Why dad?" Was all Valeria could say. It took James a moment to control his own emotions enough to form a reply.

"I'm sorry honey." He finally said. "I knew the Vault was under considerable psychological stress, but I didn't realize my leaving would send it over the brink." James shook his head before continuing. "I thought you would be safe, or I never would have left you there."

"You and mom were working on Project Purity when I was born." Valeria said. "Why did you go back after abandoning it?"

James looked sharply at Valeria, and then smiled. "You spoke to Madison, didn't you? That's how you found me." Valeria nodded and her father sighed heavily.

"I need to start at the beginning. I met your mother in the Mojave Desert near a city called New Vegas. I had left the city of Arroyo and she had come from the New California Republic. She found me working as a doctor in a shantytown outside the city and we began to work together. All she told me was that she had been working with a scientist named Henry until the NCR had shut them down. Las Vegas was barely civilized, and I had heard rumors of a technological haven to the East, a place called 'The Institute' in old Massachusetts." James looked away as he considered his next words.

"It was a difficult journey, but that was when your mother and I fell in love." James smiled at the memory. "When we arrived at the Institute, we found an isolated community of scientists focused exclusively on the development of artificial intelligence. We were given interviews for admission, and they found Catherine's expertise in biology and genetics more desirable then my background in hydroponics. We lived there for several years, with Catherine visiting me in the community outside the walls. One night she appeared at my door clearly frightened. She didn't tell me what was wrong, only that she was ready to leave and do real good for the people of the wasteland."

"Did mom ever tell you what had happened?" Valeria asked.

"No." James replied shaking his head. "I did hear rumors of a power struggle within the institute over the direction their future research. I don't know if your mother's desire to leave was linked to that event."

"Where did you go?" Valeria asked after a moment of silence.

"We came here." Her father replied with a smile. "Catherine had always been supportive of my work to clean radiated water, but now she had an almost single-minded focus on it. I had already gathered some information on the Potomac tidal basin and found that there was some old infrastructure for a desalinization plant at the Jefferson Memorial. I don't know who attempted to build it, but it was a perfect framework to build the Purifier. 'Project Purity' was the name your mother gave it."

"Was that when you met Lieutenant Autumn?" Valeria asked.

"Yes." James replied with a frown. "He appeared not long after we recruited Madison and her team from Rivet City. He offered us security and financial support. We needed all the help we could get, and at first we welcomed his assistance. Catherine felt that it was a sign from God that everything was falling into place. Your mother had become very devout during our time in the Commonwealth. She spent her free time reading a bible we had been given by the missionary who married us."

"That was when she found her favorite passage?" Valeria asked.

"Yes, Revelations 21:6." James said nodding. "You remembered."

"What happened when I was born?" Valeria asked quietly. James was silent for a minute before he spoke.

"I was beginning to suspect that there was more to Autumn then he was telling us. I finally managed to hack his personal computer and what I read confirmed what I suspected. Autumn was a member of a remnant of the Enclave."

"I've heard their broadcasts." Valeria said.

"I'm sure you have." James said grimly. "I don't know who this President Eden is, but I do know that the Enclave is evil. I was going to reveal what I learned to the science team when Catherine went into labor. We didn't have the facilities to handle complications, and your mother lost so much blood…" James closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead as he tried to compose himself."

"I had to get you away from Autumn and the Enclave." James said. "Vault 101 was far from perfect, but it was safe. When you turned nineteen, I knew you were old enough to be on you own, so I left to finish the work your mother and I started. I should have told you, I realize that now. I'm sorry Valeria."

Valeria thought of Marie and her decision to leave her with Agatha and replied. "It's okay dad." Then she looked down into her father's eyes and demanded. "But what am I?"

James sighed and said. "All I can tell you is that when I performed the genetic projection on you, the reading said that instead of a double helix your DNA was a quadruple helix. I thought it was a mistake, but further tests confirmed it. I had barely managed to convince the Overseer to allow us in. If it became known that you were a mutant, I was afraid that ignorance and xenophobia would make the vault reject you. Life was already hard for you; I didn't want to add the knowledge of your condition to the burden. Once again I was wrong and I'm sorry."

"So you don't know what's happening to me?" Valeria asked hesitantly.

"Your DNA suggests that you will be incredibly adaptable to disease and environmental stress. The fact that you never got sick when you were growing up supports that theory. But the rest of your changes…" James shook his head. "I'm afraid I have no answers for you."

Valeria looked away in despair as tears began to fill her eyes once again. Her father reached out and took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him.

"You are my daughter, Valeria." He said. "I know you, and I know you are not a 'monster'. Your life is your own, and I know that you will make the right decisions."

"Sure dad." She said turning away, unable to look in his eyes.

"Being a hero is never easy." Her father said quietly. "You have to make sacrifices and take on the burdens no one else can. Choices of such magnitude are never simple and often are the lesser of two evils. As long as you keep trying to do what's right, you will never be a monster."

"Thanks dad." Valeria said with a small smile.

James never liked making theories without supporting data, but as he watched Valeria sleep he knew there was something more she hadn't told him. James didn't press, feeling she would when she was ready. Besides, he was hardly the best role model for candor.

However, he couldn't explain all her mutations as adaptations to the wasteland since several had manifested when she was born. To him, the conclusion was inescapable, what Valeria had become was encoded in her DNA from birth. Now James wondered more then ever what Catherine had been running from when she fled the NCR and the Commonwealth. Was it possible that she had been involved in experiments that had affected her genes? If so, had she been a willing or unwilling participant?

James found the implications disturbing. Had Catherine's need to find solace in the Bible and helping others been the result of guilt? James hated to think of his wife as anything but altruistic, but what happened to their daughter as well as Catherine's reluctance to confide in him were irrefutable facts. He shook his head as he acknowledged that both he and Catherine had their secrets, the consequences of which were now being borne by Valeria. His daughter had enough revelations to think about, there was no need to burden her more.

"Put your hands on your head old man." Ordered a distorted voice from behind him. "Move and I blow it off." Silently berating himself for becoming lost in thought, James slowly raised his hands to his head and turned around. Standing behind him was an armored soldier in a full facemask pointing a deadly looking submachine gun at his face. Behind him two other soldiers walked from behind the ruin, all wearing similar armor emblazoned with the symbol of a white claw.

"Looks like you were on watch." The soldier observed. "Get your friends out here or I'll shoot you now."

"You're from Talon Company correct?" James said calmly. "There is no need for violence, we have nothing of value for you to take."

"I'll decide that." The mercenary replied. "Now start calling before I get mad."

"Catherine!" James shouted. "There are three gentlemen out here who wish to speak with us!"

"Very cute." Said the mercenary as he pressed the barrel of his gun into James' ear. If she does anything other then walk out I'll drop you right here."

"You intend to kill us anyway, don't you?" James asked conversationally as he pushed the gun away with the back of his hand. In reply the mercenary backhanded him with an armored fist. James sprawled to the ground covering his head as a scream echoed from overhead. The mercenaries all looked up as Valeria hurtled down on them from the gutted second story. The mercenary who threatened her father was struck down in one blow as Valeria slammed to the ground. With a shriek, she whirled and drove the pommel of her hammer into the chest of the second Talon, flinging him to the ground. The third mercenary fled, emptying his clip at Valeria as he ran.

Her eyes blazing Valeria leaped after the mercenary ignoring his bullets. Back in the street, the Talon she had knocked down rolled to his knees, his breastplate cracked from the force of her blow. Shaking his head to clear it, he lunged for his rifle and found James' boot on it. The mercenary looked up into the barrel of a shotgun, and then died as the scientist pulled the trigger. James shot the mercenary again to be sure, then turned to look at the first one his daughter had struck down. He was clearly dead, and James reloaded his weapon as he started to run after Valeria. As he approached the ruin they had run behind, he suddenly noted an ominous silence.

Cautiously, James walked around the corner to find Valeria crouched over the corpse of the mercenary. Rubble crunched under his boot as he froze, and Valeria whirled with her eyes burning and her snarling face covered with blood. Suddenly her rage was replaced with horrified anguish as she covered her face and tried to crawl away from her father. James recovered from his shock and ran to his daughter's side putting his hand on her armored shoulder.

"No!" She sobbed. "Don't look at me!" James didn't know what to say, so he sat down resting his hand on her shoulder as she moaned in misery. A detached part of his analytical mind noted that her wounds had stopped bleeding. Now James knew the terrible secret she had kept from him and understood her anguish. Finally Valeria fell silent and turned away as she wiped her face with her arm.

"How can you stand to even touch me?" She asked miserably.

"Because you're my daughter."

"I'm a monster dad." Valeria said in a monotone. "Can't you see that?"

"I saw what happened." James said firmly. "I also saw your anguish. You are only a monster if you don't care."

"I couldn't help myself."

"You have a terrible burden Valeria." James replied. "But when we get to Project Purity, I promise you we will get some answers. I believe in you, and I know we can find a way to control this." Valeria didn't answer as she sat with her head bowed as the blood red sun climbed into the sky.


	22. Chapter 22

As night fell, James was adamant about taking the first watch and sat near the door of their shelter as Valeria slept. Valeria hadn't spoken to him since she had killed the mercenaries and James respected her wish for silence. Upon searching the bodies he found a holodisk that revealed the bounty on his daughter's head. He surmised that their encounter was accidental, or they both would have been killed outright.

Valeria's even breathing told him she was finally asleep, and he looked out at the overcast darkness fighting his own fatigue. James was appalled at how badly his attempts to shield her from the world had failed. Valeria had clearly been through a terrible ordeal, made worse by her perception that she was an inhuman monster. He desperately wished there was something he could do to fix all his mistakes that had caused his daughter so much pain, but the damage had been done.

James awoke to the sound of Valeria groaning. Cursing his exhaustion, he activated his Pipboy light and looked at Valeria. Her head was thrashing back and forth as she whimpered in the grip of a nightmare.

"Shh honey, it's all right." James whispered as he gently shook her shoulder. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and one of her hands clamped around his neck. He gasped as he felt the bone crushing power of her fingers, but just as suddenly she snatched her hand back.

"Dad! I'm so…" Valeria exclaimed covering her mouth in horror. James interrupted her apology by embracing her, silently conveying his support and love as she stiffened with surprise. After a moment, he felt her relax as once again she began to sob. James simply held her until she finally pushed away from him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"You haven't asked me where I was in Braun's simulation." James said with a smile. Startled by the question, Valeria stared at him, her misery momentarily forgotten.

"Where were you?" She finally asked.

"Quite close." James replied. "I was the dog."

"You were…Butch?" Valeria asked in astonishment. Her father nodded, and Valeria began to giggle. Soon she was laughing out loud for the first time in months. James chuckled as well, delighted that he had managed to momentarily break his daughter out of her cycle of misery and self-loathing.

Valeria stood guard the rest of the night, and they both set out as the sun began rise into the overcast day. They arrived at the outskirts of DC ruins and followed the crumbling roads to the remains of the Pentagon on the bank of the Potomac River. The ancient installation was again serving as a fortress as the heavily armored knights of the Brotherhood of Steel patrolled around its outer wall. Valeria and her father were challenged, but after suspicious glances at Valeria were allowed to go on their way. As they walked in the shadow of the grim fortress, Valeria looked up and wondered if she and Sarah Lyons would cross paths again.

The Brotherhood patrols had apparently done their work as James and Valeria met no raiders or supermutants as they approached the Jefferson Memorial. Even after two decades, the scope of Project Purity was impressive. The ancient stones of the Memorial were covered in a network of pipes and valves, all surrounded by a steel catwalk. Valeria looked about at her father's work, and then saw him smiling at her.

"You built all this?" Valeria asked, again sweeping the memorial with her gaze. Her father nodded and replied, "Your mother and I built most of it, with the help of some other dedicated scientists, especially Madison Li." He his smile faded at the mention of her name. "I don't blame her for being bitter. Perhaps…" He shook his head and turned toward the monument.

James led Valeria around the building toward a door with "Monument Gift Shop" inscribed on it.

"After nineteen years I don't have any idea what's in there. We'd better be careful honey."

Valeria nodded, unslung her hammer and turned on her Pipboy light. Leading the way, she opened the door and entered Project Purity.

The interior was silent and dark. Not seeing any movement, Valeria carefully advanced down a sloping corridor, crouching at the corner of a passage to her right. She could hear the warning beep of an auto-turret, and then her father touched her arm gestured for her to stay still. Crouching, James went around the corner and carefully accessed a monitor on the wall. After a moment the turret went silent and her father gestured her forward. Inside they found old sandbag emplacements under the turret. James looked at the turret, his face grim. He gestured to a door marked "Memorial Rotunda" and Valeria led the way through the unlocked door.

Inside, Valeria looked upon the heart of Project Purity. The chamber was lit by the dim glow of twilight though the water in the central tank. The control room circled the main tank, accessible only from a steel staircase. Valeria reached the top and looked around at the silent computers and pumps.

"It's in pretty good shape Dad." Valeria said, her voice loud in the silence.

"Yes, isn't it…" Her father replied, looking tired. He walked up to a control panel and began to type commands on a panel. To Valeria's astonishment, she heard several bangs reverberate through the chamber, followed by a whooshing sound. Banks of lights flickered, and then burned steadily as the continuing rumble of distant pumps began to fill the air. Above her, Valeria began to see stagnant green water flow through the pipes.

"It works?" Valeria asked looking around in wonder.

"Yes…it does…" Her father said, not turning around. He leaned on the control panel, his head bowed as if under a great weight. Valeria put her hand on his shoulder.

"Dad?"

"I'm sorry," He replied, turning around. "It's just that it's been so long…" James looked around then said brusquely, "We have a lot of work to do and we'd better get started."

Further inspection found the installation to be in astonishingly good condition after years of neglect. Valeria noticed that every new revelation seemed to make her father more thoughtful and grim. With his direction, Valeria began to help enter number sequences into the mainframe using data from his Pipboy. It was late when James set the auto-turret and told Valeria to get some rest. He assured her he would join her soon, then re-entered the control room.

Valeria sat among the sandbags under the turret, watching where her father had gone. She had expected him to be excited to continue his life's work, but she couldn't read his mood. With pragmatism born of survival in the wastes, Valeria leaned against the sandbags and fell asleep.

Her eyes snapped open at her father's light step. Realizing she was awake, he stopped as she scowled at him.

"You didn't sleep at all, did you?" She accused.

"I'm sorry honey, I'll rest later. I managed to use some of Braun's data to recalibrate the purifier. It's possible we could do a working trial tonight, but I need your help. There is a blockage in one of the intake pipes preventing the valve from closing. If you could clear it we can keep going."

Valeria got to her feet and looked sternly at her father. "I'll get it." She said, "But you had better be sleeping when I get back."

"Just go to the end of the entry hall and you'll find the access hatch. Be careful honey."

"I love you Valeria." Her father said as she turned to leave.

"I love you to Dad." Valeria replied with a puzzled smile. "I'll be back soon."

The intake pipe was dry and large enough that she could walk crouched over. It descended through the darkness, until it leveled off at a rusted floodgate with a large wheel imbedded in the wall. An exploratory turn showed it was corroded closed. Bracing herself in the cramped pipe, Valeria strained until the wheel suddenly turned with a screech. The gate in front of her clanged open and one behind her closed with a boom. Advancing forward she found another steep decent. As she made her way down, her foot slipped on a patch of slime, sending her skidding down the pipe.

Valeria flailed about for anything to stop her fall but continued to slide helplessly until she smashed through a gate and plunged into a pool below. Her Pipboy began to crackle as its radiation meter went off, and she stood up in the waist-high water. Wiping hair from her eyes, she looked up and found herself staring at a gray-haired man in a trench coat standing at the pools edge. Flanking him were two soldiers in night black power armor, their optics glowing a sinister yellow. They were also armed with laser rifles that were leveled at her.

"Well, Well…" The man in the coat said, "You must be James' 'daughter' Valeria. Please don't reach for your weapon or things will get…unpleasant."

Valeria considered attacking, but standing in waist high water guaranteed she would be shot before she got to the edge. Glaring she held her hands away from her body.

"A very wise decision. I'm sure that water is uncomfortable, but I must insist that you remove your weapons before I allow you to get out." Valeria removed her hammer and knife, dropping them into the pool. The man nodded and stepped back to allow Valeria to climb out under the watchful eyes of his guards.

Clasping his arms behind his back, her captor looked up into her face appraisingly as the two soldiers moved to flank her.

"Hmm, I do see a resemblance to Catherine."

"You knew my mother?" Valeria asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"I did. A gifted scientist, although blinded by idealism."

"You're Lieutenant Autumn, aren't you?"

"Your father must have mentioned me." Autumn replied. "It's Colonel now, and I think we've wasted enough time with pleasantries. It's time we informed James he has guests." He turned and led the way to a staircase out of the sub-basement. Valeria followed with the soldiers keeping pace just behind her. The door at the top of the stairs opened into the memorial gift area, and Valeria saw more armored troopers in defensive positions, silently watching as they walked to the rotunda. Colonel Autumn led them through the door and up the stairs, while Valeria desperately watched for any opportunity to escape or attack.

James was waiting in the control room, his face calm as they entered the antechamber.

"Hello James. It's been a long time hasn't it?"

"Lieutenant Autumn, although I see it's colonel now, Congratulations." Although their exchange was polite, Valeria could feel the tension in the air as the two men faced each other.

"I hope you've found my maintenance of this facility adequate." Autumn said. "Thanks to you I couldn't get it on-line, but I didn't see the harm in some repairs."

"I'm sorry you wasted your time." James replied. "This facility doesn't work, it never has."

"Oh come now. You sabotage key data, vanish for nineteen years then return, for what? The memories? I've never considered you stupid, naïve perhaps but never stupid. Please return the courtesy and stop insulting my intelligence."

"What do you want then?"

"What I've always wanted," Autumn snapped, "Full control of this facility for the good of humanity."

"You mean the good of the Enclave, don't you?" James replied, an edge creeping into his voice.

"They are one and the same, now stop wasting my time and give me the access codes."

Autumn began to stride forward when James turned and hit a button on the panel behind him. An emergency bulkhead door slammed down, almost catching Autumn as he leaped back to avoid it. One of the soldiers stepped forward to catch Autumn's arm to help him up. Valeria tensed, ready to leap, when she heard the distorted voice of the soldier on her right warn, "Move and I blow your head off."

Getting back to his feet, Colonel Autumn angrily jerked his arm from the trooper's grasp and straightened his coat.

"That was foolish James. All you've done is delay the inevitable, especially since I have a hostage." He turned to look at Valeria and added with a sneer, "Although why you care escapes me." James took a step forward, rage flashing on his face before he caught himself and shook his head chuckling. "Really Autumn, is that the best you can do?"

"Oh I can do better." Autumn snarled, pulling out his pistol and pointing it at Valeria's face. "You will relinquish control immediately or you will watch your daughter die!"

"Kill her and I swear you will never have it." James said, quiet fury in his voice.

"You are missing the point James, as always. The only value she has to me is her usefulness in coercing you to stand down. If you seek to deny me that advantage, then I will at least have the satisfaction of watching you suffer as she dies!"

"Very well…Colonel." James said through gritted teeth. He began to turn to the panel when Valeria shouted, "Dad, no!" Turning, Autumn smashed his gun across her cheek, staggering her. Valeria straightened, her eyes blazing with fury as blood ran down her face. Before anyone could move James shouted, "That's enough! You've won Autumn!"

"Get on with it then!" Autumn replied, turning to the door. "Open this bulkhead now and we will avoid any more incidents." James began to type on the console and press buttons as Autumn waited.

"You were mistaken about one thing 'Colonel'." James said conversationally, his back still turned, "My daughter has value to you as more than a hostage. Only two people know the access codes to the purifier, myself and Valeria."

"What?" shouted Autumn as Valeria's eyes went wide with shock. James turned, looked at his daughter and said, "Go home honey, the answers are there." Then he pressed a button behind him. The entire purifier shook as an explosion boomed through the complex and warning alarms began to blare. Smoke billowed through the control room as Valeria's Pipboy began to warn of increasing radiation. Her father staggered to the door, his eyes never leaving his daughter's horrified face. He gave a weak smile, opened his mouth as if to say something, and then crumpled to the floor.

"No!" Valeria shrieked, hurling herself at the door. The thick glass was warm on her palms as she looked down at his still body of her father, then with tears running down her face she began to smash her fists into the glass. Suddenly the world vanished in a blue flash and she found herself looking up at Colonel Autumn from the floor. Her body refused to respond as she fought to stay conscious.

"Well done." Autumn said to one of the soldiers. "If she had managed to crack the seal the entire complex would have been flooded with radiation." He looked back into the chamber, his face grim.

"Well played James, you stubborn bastard. Secure the facility and get this freak to my Vertibird. We'll interrogate her properly at Raven Rock."

Valeria didn't hear the trooper's reply as the world faded into blackness.


	23. Chapter 23

Valeria screamed as fire tore through her body then slumped when it suddenly ceased. She was suspended naked inside a tube of blue energy as Colonel Autumn calmly watched while an Enclave scientist watched her vital signs.

"Her endurance is remarkable." The scientist commented, "Even Deathclaws start to suffer nerve degradation at this level. If anything, she seems to be adapting to it."

"Interesting," Autumn replied. "So the random intervals of nerve induction are having the desired affect?"

"The data is inconclusive." The technician admitted, "The way her physiology withstands environmental stress is unprecedented. We simply don't have a baseline to compare with."

Again pain ripped through her, longer this time, and Valeria shrieked in agony before again sagging within the blue field.

"That's enough for now." Autumn said, "We have already exceeded the tolerance level of most subjects, and inadvertently killing her is unacceptable."

He stepped closer to the tube, and Valeria glowered at him through her bangs as she panted for breath.

"Still defiant I see. You have proven to be a remarkable specimen. Clearly the geneticists who designed you knew their work. Perhaps you're aware that you are not the product of nature, not entirely anyway. Our tests have shown extensive modifications to your DNA. Yours seems devoid of most of the genetic clutter humans have. In fact yours is so heavily modified I hesitate in using the word 'human' to describe you."

Valeria glared at Autumn, who nodded in reply.

"I see I have your attention. Your DNA is a quadruple helix, which has only been seen in subjects from FEV experiments. Our former President intended to use the FEV to create a targeted virus to eliminate human mutants. However his wasn't the only project the Enclave was involved in. There were others that were striving within their limited means to take mankind to a new evolutionary plateau. It appears you are an unwitting participant in such an effort making me wonder what my old acquaintances James and Catherine were up to before I met them."

Valeria snarled at the mention of her parents, then shrieked as pain blasted through her.

"That was a reminder of your position." Autumn said calmly. Panting Valeria glared at Autumn but stayed silent.

"You are a science experiment." Autumn said clasping his hands behind his back. "Most likely a side effect of an Enclave endeavor and completely alone. Your family is dead, and there is no community that will accept you. Even if they were to look past your grotesque appearance your "dietary requirements" would ensure your inevitable rejection. Despite what James told you, we are the good guys. You have seen the chaos and cruelty that exists out there. After two hundred years America is still lost in a dark age. With the Purifier, we can force the factions to work together out of common need. Once order is restored, the rebuilding of America can truly begin."

Autumn leaned closer and said, "So I'm asking you nicely, what is the access code?"

"I don't know." Valeria rasped. Again the pain hit her, and again she screamed until it cut off.

"You are trying my patience." Autumn said calmly as he leaned back.

"Your father's admission may have been a gambit to preserve your life, but I doubt it. His passion to complete the Purifier brought him back even when he clearly suspected there had been interference. You know something, and I will get it from you eventually. The Purifier is mankind's best hope for unification. Every minute you hesitate allows more needless death and suffering. But if the lives of others are of no concern to you, consider your own. With what is at stake, I am prepared to continue even it kills you."

"Go to hell." Valeria gasped as she braced herself. Autumn's face contorted with rage as pain blasted Valeria, causing her to shriek and writhe in her prison praying for an oblivion denied by her mutant healing. After a seeming eternity, the pain stopped and Valeria hunched over, gasping for air as sweat dripped from her face.

A paternal voice suddenly spoke from a camera turret set in the wall. "Colonel, I think it's time you brought our "guest" to me." The turret swiveled in its socket, the blue light of the camera focusing on Autumn like an eye. Autumn turned and snapped, "Mister President, as you can see I am in the middle of an interrogation!"

"Now Colonel…" Admonished the voice that could only belong to President Eden. "I have been more then patient as I allowed you some latitude to handle this affair, but now I really must insist." Autumn glared at the camera, than snapped, "Very well, get a security detachment over here!"

It was only a minute when two heavily armed Enclave soldiers arrived. Their armor was heavier and they carried flamers, showing them to be Hellfire troopers. The field around Valeria vanished and she fell to her knees.

"I would like her to be a bit more…presentable." Eden said. "Please return her armor to her." Autumn scowled and turned to the technician, "Fetch them from storage."

Soon Valeria was being escorted through the dark corridors of Raven Rock. As they moved through the detention area, Valeria saw Deathclaws, Ghouls, and Supermutants suspended within blue tubes of energy. They went through several automatic doors and flights of stairs before stopping in a large chamber with two hulking Sentrybots flanking a massive circular door.

"If you would excuse us colonel, I would like to speak to our guest in private." Said Eden from another eye camera.

"Why?" Autumn said with a scowl.

"That really is none of your concern Colonel." Eden replied evenly, "This is an order from your commander in chief. Send Valeria on alone." The two Sentrybots turned slightly on their tripod wheels, pointing their weapons in Autumn's direction.

"Very well." Autumn grated through clenched teeth as he turned and strode out followed by the two guards. Alone with the sentrybots, Valeria stepped forward as the main door slid open before her. She stopped for a moment, glanced at the robots, and then walked forward into a dark, lofty chamber dominated by a pillar surrounded by a steel staircase.

"Please climb the stair to the second level." Eden's voice echoed about the chamber. "I am waiting at the top."

Valeria began to climb the stair as it spiraled up to a platform with a catwalk extending to another circular door. Opposite the door was a bank of monitors dominated by a large central monitor. Valeria looked for President Eden, but saw no one else in the chamber.

"At last we meet." Eden said, his voice coming from the central monitor as a line of light pulsed in time with his words. "I am President John Henry Eden, doubtless you've heard my broadcasts across the wasteland."

"I have." Valeria replied, "But why all the security if you planned on speaking to me through a monitor?"

"My dear girl," Eden chuckled, "You clearly are suffering from a misconception. You are meeting me 'face to face' so to speak. A privilege shared only by Colonel Autumn."

Valeria stared at the monitor for a moment, then said, "So the leader of the Enclave is a robot."

"My dear," Eden replied, "To call me a 'robot' does as much disservice as my describing you as a 'primate'. I am an artificial intelligence, a being as unique in the world as you are."

"Nobody in the Enclave except Autumn knows you're a machine?"

"Humans have a difficult time trusting those who are 'different'. A fact I'm sure you are aware of. I find it much more practical to allow others to hear my voice and project whatever physical characteristics upon me that they like."

"So why am I here?" Valeria asked, crossing her arms "Is this another attempt to get an access code from me?"

"Not exactly." Eden replied, "I don't share the good Colonel's passion for Project Purity. In the beginning when I was establishing the Enclave's presence, I didn't see the harm in supporting the project. If it worked as Autumn hoped, then it would have made unification that much easier. Unfortunately the venture was less than successful, making it difficult for Autumn to justify the cost in time and resources. Of course, the issue became moot when you were born."

Valeria waited, her arms still crossed as Eden continued. "Since that time, I have become aware of 'opportunities' that I believe would be much more productive. However they will take time, and that is a resource that the Colonel's obsession has deprived me of. His actions at the purifier have forced my hand and mobilized the Enclave's forces before I was ready."

"What do you want from me?" Valeria asked.

"As you may have observed, Colonel Autumn and I don't see 'eye to eye'. In fact he is on the verge of going completely rogue. As President Lincoln before me, I am forced to take drastic measures for the good of a divided nation. Right now, I believe Autumn is considering using a self-destruct code to destroy me. He is unaware that I know he possesses it, and is constrained only by an uncertainty of how the rest of the Enclave would react to my destruction."

"Why should I help you?"

"You already know what Colonel Autumn has in mind for you. I'm offering you a chance, albeit a small one, to escape from this facility. All I require of you is to enter a different ZAX authorization code. This code was created to facilitate the transfer of data from this location to another if needed. To prevent my 'departure', my creators implemented an elegantly simple safeguard. The code must be inputted manually, a task I obviously cannot do. If you perform this service for me, I will open a narrow window of opportunity for you, as well as withdraw support from my rebellious associate."

A panel below the main view screen slid aside, revealing a keyboard.

"The code is 'omega protocol 3065728', simply type it into the keyboard and I will do the rest. The clock is ticking so I recommend you make your decision quickly."

"How do I know it will do what say?"

"Simple," Eden replied, "You don't. However it is clear to me that you have no viable alternatives." Valeria scowled, then strode forward and began to type on the keyboard.

"Now I shall keep my part of the bargain."

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and sirens began to howl throughout the facility. "Auto-destruct sequence initiated" a monotone voice announced over the PA system, "Fission core meltdown imminent…All personnel must evacuate the facility immediately"

"I suggest you hurry." Eden said calmly as a muffled explosion vibrated through the floor. Valeria turned as the door behind her slid open and ran though it into the dark corridor beyond. The warning from before began to repeat as Valeria stopped in front of a wall map, the details distorting and flickering as more explosions shook the base. After a second she turned and ran in the direction she thought the main entrance was. At the first intersection she found herself in a panicked mob of Enclave personnel. Apparently the Enclave had no plan for this eventuality, and it was now every man for himself.

Completely ignored in the panicked rush, Valeria ran toward another intersection, and saw a cloud of green fire engulf the troops in the corridor ahead. Only those with armor survived, but as they tried to run a bulkhead slammed shut sealing them in. The rumble of Raven Rock's death throes was now constant, and the mob of panicked personnel surged down a corridor to the right. It ended in a staircase, forming a bottleneck that the desperate crowd jammed into. An explosion from behind lit the corridor as the enclave forces with weapons began shooting each other as they fought to climb the stairs.

Valeria realized that she was about to get crushed in the press, and ran forward smashing her elbows and fists into the crowd. She was almost to the stairs when she leaped onto the back of an armored soldier and launched herself into the air. She landed on the staircase, seized a pistol-wielding officer and flung him behind her. An explosion almost threw her over the rail as the stairs began to tear loose from their moorings. With another leap Valeria hurled herself onto a landing before an open door. Climbing over a dead soldier, she looked out into a hanger open to the afternoon sky. Several Vertibirds were already flying into the distance and only one remained on a landing pad. It began to lift off, and Valeria saw an officer run and grab for the open hatch. He hung on the frame trying to climb up until an armored soldier smashed him in the face with his boot and slammed the door shut. The officer was still falling when Valeria exploded into desperate motion.

Leaping with all of her strength, Valeria managed to catch one of the Vertibird's wheels as it flew overhead. From behind her, a hulking armored soldier emerged carrying a smoking minigun. Seeing his last chance for escape flying over the hanger wall, he opened fire on the Vertibird. Valeria pulled her legs up, trying to be a smaller target as bullets shredded the steel plates around her. The Vertibird lurched in midair, than one of its wheels caught the granite wall and hurtled over the perimeter fence spinning over the plains below. Valeria glimpsed the Potomac River as the Vertibird lost its struggle to stay aloft and hurtled down. The world spinning madly about her, Valeria let go desperately hoping she would hit the water.

The force of the impact stunned her as she vanished under the surface. Thrashing against the turbulent flow, Valeria frantically tried to find the surface. Suddenly the water was lit by orange light as the Vertibird exploded against the far bank and Valeria struggled toward the glow. Her head broke the surface and she gasped for air as she tried to swim for the bank, the river lit by repeated flashes from the dying fortress of Raven Rock. Valeria fought to reach the shore before the river pulled her back under. Finally her hand closed on a jagged rock, and with a shriek of effort she pulled herself onto the rocky slope.

Valeria lay on the rocks coughing as the ground shuddered and vibrated as plumes of fire continued to roar toward the sky. Gritting her teeth with effort, Valeria shakily got to her feet then turned to look at the burning remnants of Raven Rock. Suddenly there was a howl and Valeria whirled to face the towering bulk of a Supermutant hurtling toward her, its huge fists upraised. Battered and weakened by her ordeal, Valeria tried to dodge when a massive fist slammed into her face and smashed her to the ground. Blood filled her mouth as she gagged with agony and tried desperately to push herself up. She barely managed to push her face out of the rocky mud when a huge foot crashed down on her head shattering her consciousness like glass.


	24. Chapter 24

Valeria awoke with a pounding headache on a filthy mattress in a room feebly lit by flickering yellow ceiling lights. Squeezing her eyes shut against the pain, Valeria groaned then tried to sit up.

"You…are awake." Rumbled a deep voice from the shadows. "I had feared you wouldn't."

Valeria jerked her head from her hands and saw the huge form of a Supermutant wearing the shredded remains of a vault jumpsuit.

"I am…not an enemy. I will not attack you!" The mutant said, raising its empty hands.

"Where am I?" Valeria demanded, wary of an attack as her eyes darted around the room.

"You are in what's left of Vault 87." The mutant replied. "Excuse my lack of manners, I rarely get to speak civilly with anyone. My name is Fawkes."

"Valeria." She responded, startled as much by Fawkes' diction as his demeanor.

"I am very pleased to meet you. Your arrival has proven to be more…fortuitous then our captors realize."

"You're a prisoner?"

"Yes. My brethren consider me a defective weakling, so they make me dress like a 'puny human' in this inadequate apparel."

"You said my arrival was fortuitous, why?" Valeria asked as she stood from the bed, noting that she was stripped of her weapons but not her armor.

"There are only three paths to leave the Vault. The main door was sealed by an atomic blast and is impassable. The second is a passage that opens into caverns that are trapped and guarded. The last route I found while searching a Vault Tec database. It is an emergency access that can only be opened with a Pipboy. That would be impossible for my kind, even if Pipboys were available."

"So you need my Pipboy to open the door."

"Not entirely. The door is accessed through the reactor level where the FEV tanks are located. Radiation and FEV leaks are hazardous enough, but there is something more. Once the FEV levels in the tanks dropped and a patrol was sent to investigate. They didn't return, and my fellow meta-humans sealed the passage. Sometimes I hear noises that don't sound like structural stress from beyond the barricade.

"Do you have a plan to get out of this cell?" Valeria asked noting the thick glass window crusted with stains and dirt next to a heavy steel door.

"Yes, but are you willing to help me?"

"I don't have a lot of choices."

"Very well." Fawkes said with a nod. "I was to tend you until you were strong enough to be exposed to the FEV. It is fortunate that you have awakened. The others are not patient and will come to collect you soon. That will be our chance to escape this cell."

Soon, true to Fawkes' prediction, two mutants appeared at the door. The one in front was armed with a super sledge; the other carried a minigun. After a few fumbling attempts, the mutant unlocked the door than leaned down to see only Fawkes standing alone against the back wall.

"Where…is the…human?" Bellowed the mutant.

"The human is gone." Replied Fawkes.

"Impossible!" The mutant roared, as they lumbered into the room. Suddenly the gun-wielding mutant heard a noise from above, and looked up in time to see something fall from the exposed pipes in the ceiling. Valeria got her arms around its thick neck in a chokehold as the mutant yanked the trigger of its minigun. Fawkes dove to the floor as the hammer-wielding mutant howled as it with slugs and slumped to the floor. ricochet shrieked around the room, cracking the window and filling the air with sparks. Valeria felt the impacts of bullets through the mutant's massive body as it shielded her from its fire. The mutant howled as it flung its head back attempting to smash her face as Valeria shrieked and squeezed with all the power in her arms until it dropped its weapon and crashed to the floor. Panting from effort, Valeria picked up the sledge while Fawkes lifted the minigun.

"Finally, true freedom is within my grasp!" Bellowed Fawkes. "Down the hall is the fire control room, we go there first!"

Leading the way, Fawkes lumbered down the corridor, the filth and rust stained walls luridly lit by red lights. At the end Valeria could see the flashes of electrical arcs through an open doorway, which was suddenly blocked by an armored mutant. Fawkes' minigun thundered and the mutant roared before toppling into the room. Stepping over the Supermutant's corpse they found two generators, electricity arcing between the damaged coils. Fawkes dropped the minigun and shambled to a panel on the other side of the room. He manipulated the keyboard, and an alarm began to shrill throughout the complex. Behind them Valeria could hear gunfire and bellows of rage.

"The alarm opened the test subject's cells!" Fawkes shouted over the bedlam. "This will buy us time!"

He lifted the gun again and gestured with it toward an open door to the right. Valeria let Fawkes lead as they entered the dark corridor. At the end was a crude barricade of broken mainframes and cabinets filled with scrap metal. Fawkes turned to Valeria and said, "This stair leads to the reactor level. I'll watch the hall while you clear it!"

Valeria stepped forward, seized a cabinet and with a heave pulled it loose. Shoving and pulling, she managed to clear a narrow opening revealing a staircase descending into darkness.

"The others won't follow us, but be wary my friend. I don't know what awaits us in the depths." Valeria nodded, lifted her sledge and led the way down. At the bottom of the steps they found a corridor in greater disrepair then the ones above. Loops of cable hung from the ceiling, and the few lights still working flickered feebly.

"I sometimes have memories of this place, but with humans in lab coats." Fawkes said as he looked about. "Only brief flashes, but enough to make me think I used to live here before I became…this."

"Do you remember anything about what happened here?"

"No." Fawkes replied shaking his head, "But I do know Vault 87 was meant to be more then a sanctuary from the Atomic holocaust. In the archives I found documents indicating the inhabitants were to be exposed to the Forced Evolutionary Virus." Fawkes peered ahead, then continued. "The scientists lost control, and the mutant survivors took over. Some of my brethren say the overseer was thrown in an FEV vat, and those that supported him were sealed below. I don't know if that story is true, there is no mention of it in the archives."

Valeria looked down the hallway, unable to shake the feeling that something was waiting in the humid darkness. Valeria raised her hammer and slowly advanced as the corridor turned to the left, and Valeria began to see a green glow as the temperature rose. Phosphorescent goo was dripping from the ceiling, forming glowing puddles against the walls. There was also a mist filled with glowing green motes floating in the air.

"The FEV is kept in a nutrient solution and administered as a gas." Fawkes said in a hoarse whisper. "These leaks shouldn't be a harmful concentration, but we need to be cautious." Valeria nodded as she carefully avoided the glowing green puddles seeping onto the floor. To either side she could see rooms bathed in the green glow from leaking pipes. Her Pipboy began to warn her of increasing radiation as the air became hotter and more humid.

Suddenly there was a roar followed by a mutant limping out of the darkness ahead. It was a hideous mass of tumor like growths and twisted muscles, wearing the tattered scraps of a vault jumpsuit. Its fleshless jaws gaped as it saw them and charged. Valeria stepped forward and swung her hammer smashing the side of its head. It sprawled at her feet in a spreading pool of glowing blood as Valeria and Fawkes looked for others, then started down the corridor again. Suddenly a gurgling growl came from behind them. Turning, they saw the mutant Valeria had killed getting to its feet, ichor coagulating on the side of its ruined skull, its remaining eye glaring at them. Fawkes opened fire, hurling the mutant against the wall, where it slid to the ground leaving a broad glowing stain. It slumped over then began to twitch and spasm as it labored for breath.

Suddenly they heard another roar echo down the corridor. "We have to get out of here before we're cut off!" Valeria shouted as she pulled Fawkes away from the mutant now getting to its feet. They both ran to an intersection of closed doors with another stair leading deeper into the Vault. "Down!" Shouted Fawkes as they saw the mutant appear out of the glowing mist, it's shambling gate becoming faster as it regenerated. At the bottom of the stairs they found a short hall ending at a door. Fawkes turned and opened fire at the perusing mutant, driving it back up the stairs.

"We need the Pipboy!" Fawkes shouted. "There are more of those creatures upstairs and my weapon is almost empty!"

Valeria ran to the monitor and held her Pipboy before it. As before in Vault 112, numbers began to scroll across her Pipboy screen, mirrored by the monitor. Just as Fawke's gun fell silent, the monitor beeped, and the door slid open.

"Come on Fawkes!" Valeria shouted as she ran into the chamber beyond. Fawkes dropped the gun and ran through, the door slamming shut behind him.

Two huge turbines and banks of mainframes lining the walls dominated the chamber. The air was humid with a cloud of mist hovering at the ceiling and rivulets of FEV nutrient casting a sickly green glow. There was also a rumbling sound, audible over the hum of machinery and the booming of blows on the door. It rose and fell with a rhythm that suggested the breathing of an immense creäture.

"My friend," Said Fawkes, "We must destroy this place. I feel as if I had tried before my…transformation, but if so I failed. The meta-humans must be stopped, but I fear it will put our lives in even greater jeopardy."

"How?"

"We are in the reactor. I believe I can sabotage it, which should destroy the FEV tanks as well as the Vault, however I cannot be certain we will have time to escape."

Valeria looked at the door, now bulging in places from the continued assault from outside. She remembered the gore strewn mutant base at the Germantown Police Station, and the desperate battle between the Brotherhood and the Supermutants in the DC ruins.

"Do your best Fawkes." Valeria said, as she walked to the only other exit. As Fawkes began to activate controls on the reactor, Valeria watched down the dark hallway. Suddenly, the main door bent in with a boom as a gap appeared. A misshapen hand reached in grasping for purchace on the door. Valeria stepped forward and smashed it with the pommel of her hammer. Green blood spattered as the mutant howled from beyond the door and the pounding got louder. Suddenly the familiar sound of an emergency alarm began to wail as red warning lights began spinning.

Valeria and Fawkes began to run to the tunnel when the floor suddenly jumped, knocking them both sprawling. A roar filled the air, followed by another shock through the floor. Valeria scrambled to her feet, helping her less agile companion to his. More roars echoed through the chamber as they ran down a tunnel that opened into a huge cavern with a steel bridge crossing over a vast pit to a staircase leading to another tunnel. Valeria led Fawkes to the bridge, just as the red flash of an explosion lit the cave from below. This time the roar was deafening, and seemed to erupt from the seething darkness directly below them. Valeria and Fawkes ran across the shaking bridge using the railings for support. They had reached the opposite landing and started up the stairs when a colossal mass of pulpy mutated flesh erupted from below and smashed into the bridge. With a shriek, the entire structure gave way and fell into the depths as the stairs collapsed into the wall, hurling Valeria backwards into space. Fawke's huge hand caught her arm as she hurtled past, slamming her into the cave wall.

Below them, red flashes began to appear in the murk and the roaring from below shook the walls of the cavern. Fawkes was hanging from a step as the remains of the stairs began to pull free.

"Get ready!" Fawkes shouted, as with a powerful heave he flung Valeria up the wall. She desperately grabbed for the ladder, barely catching a rail and feeling the structure collapse further from the shock. With a heave, she threw herself up to the edge of the tunnel, grabbing what was left of a support. Looking down, Valeria reached her hand down as far as she could.

"Come on Fawkes!"

Fawkes climbed a rung, reaching his hand toward hers when a fireball suddenly erupted from below. The remains of the bridge tore free leaving Valeria hanging over the void as Fawkes vanished into the darkness.

"Fawkes!" Valeria screamed as another explosion lit the cavern. Suddenly the rail she was holding began to groan as it began to pull from the wall. Valeria desperately lunged for the tunnel, getting her upper body into the cave as the railing fell into pit below. Scrabbling at the rough stone floor, she pulled herself into the tunnel as another fireball filled the cavern, searing her back with the heat. Valeria ran to the end of the tunnel where another pneumatic door was trying to close. She squeezed past, then grabbed the door and with a shriek of effort pulled it closed. She turned to see she was in an abandoned control room with a door opening into a cavern beyond.

Dirt and rocks were raining from above as the rumbling continued. Valeria turned to look back at the sealed door, tears stinging her eyes as she bid a silent farewell to a friend she had known all too briefly. Then she turned and fled into the quaking darkness beyond.


	25. Chapter 25

"Is it bad?" Freddie Gomez whimpered. "Damn it hurts!"

"I can't tell." Amata replied as she tried to look at the gunshot wound in his upper arm while the other teenagers in the med lab crowded around them.

"What were you and Butch doing in the Atrium?"

"Hey!" Butch shouted from the corner he was standing in as far from the sight of blood as he could. "Nobody tells the Tunnel Snakes what to do! We were going to show them they can't keep us locked in the Vault forever!"

"They have guns Butch, didn't you even think of that?" Amata said with weary resignation as she probed Freddie's injury.

"Mutant!" Butch screamed before turning and fleeing into the office. The other tennagers began to cry out as they backed away from the door. Amata turned and her eyes opened wide with shock. Standing in the doorway was a creature out of nightmare its armored shoulders filling the doorway as it ducked its head to look into the room. Amata stood, rooted to the spot as the others cowered against the wall behind her, than summoning courage she didn't know she had looked up into the mutant's face and gasped with stunned recognition.

"Valeria?" She whispered. Then she turned and snapped at the terrified teenagers,

"Quiet! If she was going to attack us we would all be dead!" She turned back toward Valeria and said softly, "She's a friend."

Valeria was silent, but her eyes were shining with unshed tears as she backed out of the room as the others watched in stunned silence. Outside Amata stared at Valeria shocked by her friend's monstrous appearance. Valeria's huge body was streaked with dirt and barely covered by steel plates held together by leather straps. She also smelled of smoke, sweat, and a faint odor Amata had become all too familiar with, blood. Amata shuddered at the horrors her friend had to have experienced, than she looked again into Valeria's eyes. Tears were flowing freely down Valeria's cheeks, and there was a terrible sadness in her gaze.

"You got my message." Amata finally said.

"Yes." Valeria said with a nod.

"My God, what happened to you?"

"It's a long story. This is what I was changing into while we were growing up. The wasteland just sped up the process."

"Is the outside that horrible?"

"It can be." Valeria admitted. "But there are good people out there, fighting the "good fight" and trying to make the world better."

"Fighting the good fight." Amata said looking at the floor. "Valeria, I don't know what to do. Everything's become such a confused mess, and the others are looking to me for answers."

"I'll help any way I can Amata."

"I know you will." Amata replied with a smile. "I just don't know what to do. When you left, my father ordered a lockdown and Allen Mack took over as chief of security. He's terrible Valeria, worse than Steve was." Amata winced at the memory of her interrogation.

"Allen knows you killed Steve, and he'll try to kill you when he finds out you're back." Amata's face turned grim as she added, "Actually I think he'd like to come down here and kill us all. The only reason he hasn't is because I'm here and my father won't let him."

"Have you tried talking to your father?"

"Yes, a group of us did with Mr. Brotch. We tried to explain that the lockdown was only making things worse, and that we had to open the Vault or we'd all die. Father didn't want to listen, and Allen tried to arrest us. Someone threw a bottle and the guards started shooting. Tom and Jim were killed and Chip was wounded. Mr. Brotch let himself be captured to give the rest of us time to escape. I didn't know where else to go, most of the Vault citizens are too scared or angry to help. Chip bled out because we didn't know how to treat him." Amata's voice caught and she stifled a sob with her hand.

"After that I used the emergency broadcast system to send you a message with the password. I didn't know if either you or your father would answer, and as the months went by…"

"Uh, I'm sorry Amata but Freddie's bleeding a lot." Said Christine as she timidly peeked around the corner.

"I learned first aid from dad and I've seen a lot of injuries in the waste." Valeria said. "I'll look at him if you'll let me." Amata straightened her shoulders and nodded, then turned and re-entered the room.

"Listen everyone. This is Valeria, and she's here to help us. Everybody stand back!"

Valeria strode into the room and knelt by Freddie's side. The young man looked fearfully at Valeria then at Amata. She nodded, and visibly swallowing Wally closed his eyes as Valeria's hand closed around his arm. With a practiced eye she examined his injury and quickly felt his arm for broken bones.

"The bullet passed all the way through." Valeria said. "We need a bandage and a stimpack if you have any."

"Butch!" Amata snapped. "Quit hiding and get a stim from the medical storage. Move!"

Soon Freddie was bandaged and resting on a mattress as Valeria stood and turned to Amata while the rest of the teenagers stared in horrified fascination.

"We have to end this." Valeria said. "Your father knows I'm back so we have to act quickly." Valeria remembered the look of abject terror on old man Taylor's face as he had scrambled away from her. He had been guarding the atrium and was the first Vault Dweller Valeria met after she had entered the Vault.

"If anyone has a chance to change his mind, it's you Amata. Maybe after everything that's happened he'll be ready to listen."

"What about Allen and the other guards?"

"I'll deal with them only if I have to." Valeria replied grimly. Amata looked at Valeria's battle-scarred armor and the huge hammer strapped to her back and felt a shock of fear. Valeria saw it in her eyes and said. "I've changed, but not that much. I won't hurt the people I grew up with unless they leave me no choice." Amata nodded with a small smile, feeling only slightly reassured.

In the Overseer's Office Alphonse Almodovar looked out the circular window onto the atrium below. Officer Taylor had abandoned his post as token door guard and was now babbling about a mutant invader to Alan Mack. The new chief of security was clearly at the end of his patience, and he turned to officer Richards and snapped, "Put him in the lockdown with Brotch until he calms down!" As officer Richards escorted Lewis into the hall, Alan turned angrily toward Alphonse who was still facing the window.

"Do you think he saw a mutant from outside?" Alphonse said without turning around.

"The old fool probably got surprised by a Tunnel Snake and snapped." Alan growled, "But we know Amata sent a message to James' daughter. I don't know if that murderer is alive, but if your daughter was willing to bring that monster back here then she's not interested in talking."

"My daughter may be naïve at times, but she's no fool." Alponse replied. "She and the others will see reason soon enough without any more bloodshed."

"Are you really that blind?" Alan asked stepping toward the overseer. "Look around, the Vault is in chaos, the filtration system is damaged. The very future of what's left of humanity is at stake as long as this continues!"

"I am aware of the situation Alan. I am not going to authorize you to storm the medlab and that's final!" Alphonse glared at Alan, his arms crossed. "I am the Overseer officer Mack, and you will do as I order!"

Alan Mack's eyes narrowed, and when he spoke his voice was filled with quiet menace. "Your affection for your daughter has blinded you to the greater good. I think it's time you stepped down as Overseer."

"Is that a threat Alan?" Alphonse replied, his voice icy.

"You know it is." Alan said as he pointed his assault rifle at the Overseer.

"You intend to kill me and usurp leadership?" Alphonse said with a sneer.

"Usurp? I have every right in the defense of the Vault. Now give me the access code and step down!"

"Never. I'll die first!"

"Ok." Alan shrugged and pulled the trigger.

Valeria and Amata had just entered the atrium when they heard the shots. Both looked up to see the Overseer fall against the observation window and slide to the floor leaving streaks of blood on the glass.

"Daddy!" Amata screamed as she began to run up the stairs. Valeria caught up with her near the top and seized her arm.

"My father's been shot!" Amata choked, "I have to get to him, he may still be alive!"

"You won't do him any good if you're dead!" Valeria snapped as she held Amata's arm in an iron grip.

"Looks like you saved me the trouble of coming down after you." Came Alan's voice from down the hall. "It also looks like old man Taylor wasn't raving after all. Who's that with you Amata? Some scum from outside?" Valeria held a finger to her lips and released Amata, who stared at her shaking.

"I'm sorry about your father Amata, but he forced me to do it. Just come out with your hands up and we can work this out."

"You bastard!" Amata screamed, "You shot my father!" Before Valeria could stop her, she lunged around the corner, emptying her pistol down the walkway. Bullets whipped around her and Amata cried out before crumpling into Valeria's arms, her forehead covered with blood.

Officers O'Brian and Richards had advanced slowly out of the systems room while Alan spoke to distract Amata and her companion. Her wild shots didn't even come near them, and Alan hoped his return fire hadn't killed her. Amata wasn't evil, simply headstrong and misguided, but sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. Then they heard the scream. It wasn't a cry of pain or fear; it was a primal howl of berserk fury. The guards stopped, unnerved by the terrible sound. Then the invader from outside came into view, and Alan froze with shock. Old man Taylor was right; a monster had invaded the vault and was coming for them with fangs bared and a huge hammer in its clawed fists.

Richards and O'Brian started firing their pistols, but the mutant closed with terrible speed, swinging its hammer and flinging O'Brian over the railing to plummet to the floor below. The mutant then drove the pommel of its hammer into Richard's face, crushing his faceplate and killing him instantly. Alan had been backing toward the Systems room as the mutant murdered his men. Then it looked up snarling, its white eyes blazing with inhuman fury. With a shock Alan recognized the face of the fiend who had beaten his son to death and with a cry of rage opened fire as Valeria raised her hammer and charged.

Amata awoke with a pounding headache and the feeling of being carried. She opened her eyes to see Valeria looking down at her with a smile and tear tracks on her blood-spattered face.

"What?" Amata said as she tried to turn her head. Valeria pressed Amata's face into her arm and said, "Please, I don't want you to see this." There was a terrible sadness in Valeria's voice, which made Amata close her eyes without question. After a moment Valeria gently put Amata down and said, "It's okay now, we're going to your father." Still dizzy and nauseous, Amata put her hand to her head and found a pad held to her temple with a crude bandage. She leaned against Valeria's arm as her friend led her down the hall to the Overseer's office.

Inside she saw her father slumped against the window with his eyes closed. Sobbing, Amata ran to his side and held his head, whispering "Daddy I'm so sorry…" over and over. Valeria knelt by them and checked the overseer's pulse. She frowned, than pulled out a stimpack.

"Stand back Amata." She said gently but firmly pushing her friend away. Amata stared uncomprehendingly, then with growing hope as Valeria injected the stim into Alphonse's neck. He shuddered, then gasped for breath as his eyes opened. Clearly in pain, he looked with alarm at Valeria's gore spattered face, and then saw his daughter kneeling next to her.

"Amata…" he gasped.

"I'm here Daddy." She said holding his head again.

"You were right…" He whispered. "I wanted to keep everyone safe…I failed so terribly…I'm sorry Amata…." His eyes closed for a moment as he labored for breath, then he opened them again. "Alan was right…I'm not fit to be…overseer…" He coughed again then said, "I want you to lead…you have proven worthy…" His words trailed off as he lost consciousness.

"Will he …be okay?" Amata asked fearfully.

"I don't know." Valeria admitted. "I'll do my best, but he's lost a lot of blood. We need to get him down to the medlab, and if you have any bloodpacks we're going to need them." Amata nodded and Valeria stood up. For the first time, Amata saw several bloody bullet wounds on Valeria's body.

"You've been shot!"

"It's nothing." Valeria said glancing down. "I've survived worse than this." She turned toward the door and said, "I'm going to free Mr. Brotch, stay here with your father until I get back." Amata sat cradling her father's head as she watched Valeria's walk out of the office as if she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.


	26. Chapter 26

Valeria treated Amata's father as best she could, with Amata hovering anxiously nearby. Eventually Valeria was forced to accept that the life of the Overseer was no longer in her hands. She sat back and nodded to Amata who immediately clasped her father's hand in both of hers. Suddenly Alphonse's eyes fluttered open and he took a shuddering breath as he turned his head and saw his daughter's tear-streaked face. His fingers tightened on Amata's, and his mouth worked as he tried to speak. Amata leaned her ear close to his mouth and listened intently as he tried to speak, then suddenly went limp, his hand falling to his side. Valeria immediately stepped forward and felt his throat for a pulse as Amata'a stricken face looked up at hers.

"He's still alive, but barely." Valeria announced. "The only thing we can do now is wait."

"He told me the Overseer's password." Amata said.

"He's right. Someone has to step forward and take charge before things get worse. Your father trusts you…and so do I."

Amata stared at Valeria for a moment, then looked down at her father. Her mouth set in a grim line, Amata stood and walked to the door of the medlab, which slid open with a hiss.

"Mr. Brotch!" She ordered. "I need you in here now!"

After putting their former teacher in charge of monitoring Alphonse, Amata then turned to the teenagers standing outside and sent them into the Vault to announce that Alan was dead and that she was acting Overseer until her father recovered. She also warned them to make no mention of Valeria. Valeria understood why, having already experienced the terror she caused in the Vault Dwellers.

When Amata and Valeria were finally alone in the room, Valeria said. "I don't know how to ask this, but can you help me search the Vault database?"

"Why?" Amata asked, and Valeria told her about Project Purity, the Enclave, and her father.

"Oh Valeria, I'm so sorry. Your father was so good to us, I can't believe he's dead."

"The last thing he told me was to go home, that the answers were there. This is the only home I've ever known Amata. I was on my way here when I got your message."

"So it wasn't a coincidence that you were in range of the broadcast." Amata shook her head with a rueful smile. "I guess it was egotistical of me to assume you came back just because I asked you to."

"I would have come no matter what." Valeria said gently.

"I'm sorry Valeria. Of course you would have. If you need to get into the database, I'll help you do it."

At that moment Brotch emerged from the Medlab to announce that Alphonse was in critical condition but seemed stable.

"Then there's no time to waste." Amata said turning back to Valeria. Follow me!"

Amata led Valeria down to the reactor level where the terminal directly accessing the Vault mainframe was located. Amata sat at the terminal with Valeria looking over her shoulder as she entered the password. Minutes went by as they both read Vault Tec documents, many signed by Stanislaus Braun.

"Oh my God." Amata whispered in shock, "Everything we've been told is a lie."

Valeria had experienced more than Amata, but even so the depth of Braun and Vault Tec's betrayal shocked her. Vault 87 and 112 weren't aberrations; they were part of an unspeakably cruel sociological experiment inflicted on people who thought the Vaults were saving them. As she read, Valeria began to feel grim satisfaction that she had avenged everyone who had suffered because of Braun's megalomania.

Further reading revealed that Vault 101 was the only Vault designed to work as advertised. This was done not for humanitarian reasons, but because a control group was needed. Because the Vault was to remain intact, it was the only one assigned a GECK Mark II.

"What's a GECK?" Amata asked. She did a quick word search for information, and to Valeria's surprise saw an entry for James. Amata highlighted it and found it protected by a password.

"Try 'Catherine'." Valeria said after staring at the screen. Amata entered the name and the document opened. Valeria's eyes widened as she realized she was reading a letter to her from her father.

"Valeria" It began. "If you are reading this, then you are poking where you shouldn't." Valeria smiled and continued reading. "But that also means you may be able to complete the work that made me leave the Vault. I have to finish Project Purity, too many people sacrificed too much for me to abandon it any longer. This Vault Tec archive has convinced me that the missing pieces lay with Dr. Stanislaus Braun. He took shelter in a Vault before the war, I hope to find which one and salvage whatever data he left. It's a gamble, but one I have no choice but to take.

I have also found that there is a GECK mark II secured within Vault 101. It is a wondrous device meant to terraform a sterile environment but also highly unstable. I hope I won't need it, since getting back into the Vault will be practically impossible, but perhaps you can. I'm leaving you with a choice Valeria. If you stay safe in the Vault, I would understand and even encourage that decision. However, if you can reach the GECK, hopefully with the blessing of the Overseer, you could succeed where I possibly have failed. However you choose, know that your father loves you.

James

Amata turned to look up at her friend as Valeria sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

"You're going to get the GECK?" She asked.

"Yes, if you'll let me." Valeria said.

"I'll do it." Amata said firmly as she rose from her chair. "It's not doing any good down here." The system door was off the mainframe room, and Amata quickly accessed the monitor with her password. The door slid open, and Valeria stepped inside wary for traps. There were none, only a thick silver briefcase sitting on a pedestal like the offering in a shrine. Valeria lifted the surprisingly heavy case, and then turned to Amata.

"Thank you."

"You're not coming back, are you?"

"No." Valeria said shaking her head. "Maybe one day, but you've seen how terrified everyone is of me. As long as I'm here, there's no chance anything's going to get better."

Amata nodded sadly and said, "I'll walk with you to the door."

Once again, Valeria found herself standing before the Vault door as it rolled open. She turned back to Amata and said, "Tell anyone who leaves to go to Megaton and speak to Lucas Simms. He knows me and he'll take care of them." Amata nodded, unable to speak.

"I know you'll take good care of everyone…goodbye Amata."

"Goodbye Valeria," Amata replied, her eyes shining. "Good luck."

The GECK heavy under her arm, Valeria turned and entered the tunnel. She had promised she would try to return, but she knew she wouldn't. Amata still didn't know the terrible price of her abilities, and Valeria couldn't bear to face her reaction when she discovered the truth.

Valeria opened the outside door and stepped out into the cold wasteland night, then froze in shock. Before her stood Colonel Autumn, flanked by heavily armored soldiers with miniguns all pointed at her with the barrels spinning. Behind him stood Dr. Madison Li, looking furious and defiant.

"Well, Well." Said Colonel Autumn, his arms behind his back. "Look what we have here. I recommend you to not do anything foolish. Access code or not, if you do anything other than exactly what I say you will be killed. Nod if you understand."

Valeria glared at Autumn, then jerked her head down once.

"Excellent." Autumn said with a nod. "You have proven to be a very troublesome young woman. I didn't know if you had survived the destruction of Raven Rock, but I suspected you had. You seem to possess an uncanny knack for survival."

Valeria's eyes shot about the clearing, looking desperately for an avenue of escape. She saw only one possibility, impossible for anyone not as strong as she was, but requiring an opening or she would be shredded by the soldier's guns.

"Instead of searching the wasteland I looked for your possible destination." Autumn continued. "I renewed my old acquaintance with Dr. Li, and she proved most informative about the Project and it's requirement of a GECK."

"I'm sorry Valeria." Dr. Li said, looking stricken, "I didn't know you were really James' daughter, I couldn't tell you everything."

"Yes, there isn't much of a resemblance." Autumn said not turning around. "Madison took some 'persuading' before she would coöperate." Dr. Li shot Autumn a look of hatred but said nothing as he continued. "Once I arrived at Megaton, a certain Moriarty was very helpful in confirming where you came from. After that it was simply a matter of waiting until you arrived."

Valeria snarled and tensed, causing the soldiers to shift the hold on their guns. "As I warned you, any sudden moves will get you killed. Now put the GECK on the ground…slowly."

Valeria slowly knelt and put the GECK on the ground before standing back up with her hands raised.

"Excellent." Autumn said with a nod as he turned to one of his soldiers. "Retrieve the GECK, and shoot her if she does anything but breathe."

The massive soldier set his gun down and pulled out a pistol. He then approached Valeria, kneeling down to reach for the GECK. In that second, screened by the soldier's back, Valeria spun and launched herself toward the rock wall to the south. Her feet hit the boulders at the base, then she hurled herself over the pile, bullets beginning to fly around her as the troopers tried to aim their heavy weapons. She hit the rocky slope on the other side and slid to the road below in a shower of stones and dirt. Scrambling to her feet, Valeria ran as fast as she could, her superhuman strength propelling her forward with astonishing speed.

Colonel Autumn cursed his overconfidence as he climbed into his Vertibird, GECK in hand. He had seen the data on James' daughter, and he still underestimated her abilities. He should have had her shot as soon as she put down the GECK, but the code stayed his hand. Now she was moving across the wastes like a rocket, the code with her. The engines began to scream as Autumn turned to the pilot.

"Get us in the air and terminate that fugitive!"

"You can't start it without the code Autumn!" Dr. Li shouted from between two soldiers in the cargo hold. Without turning around Autumn replied, "An inconvenience true, but far from insurmountable. James' daughter has proven too troublesome to be allowed to live."

Valeria had reached a hill overlooking the ruins of the town of Fairfax when she heard the rotors of the Vertibird growing louder. She looked back to see its dark shape emerging from the low hanging clouds. Valeria began to run as laser beams erupted from it, vaporizing the street where she had stood. Valeria knew she had to stay on the roads. Crumbling as they were, she couldn't run full speed on irregular ground in the dim light. She realized her only chance was to get into the DC ruins where she could use the buildings as cover.

As she hurtled through Fairfax, she could see a crude barricade of sandbags and sheet metal manned by raiders who began firing wildly at her. Ignoring the bullets whizzing by she cleared the barricade in one leap and sprinted past. The raiders scattered as the Vertibird roared over them in hot pursuit. Valeria's powerful thigh muscles propelled her forward, her speed keeping her alive as the Vertibird tried to target her.

Valeria was starting to breathe harder when she reached the DC suburbs and began to weave between wrecked cars. The Vertibird stopped firing, as it had to maneuver over overpasses and around streetlights while trying to keep Valeria in sight. She ran under another bridge, and then found herself facing a sprawling traffic jam of wrecked cars and busses. She leaped on the first car, and then began jumping from vehicle to vehicle. Suddenly, laser fire began strafing the cars ahead of her. For a moment she thought the Vertibird was missing by a wider margin until she saw flames erupting from the wrecked hulks. With a snarl, she realized what Autumn was doing. Unable to get her in his sights, he was instead igniting the fusion-powered wrecks all around her. The toll station was about to become an atomic inferno!

Drawing on reserves she didn't know she had, Valeria ran and leaped through the wall of radioactive fire, clearing it as the ground shook from the first thundering explosion. Valeria staggered as the ground shook and flaming debris flew around her. Speed was her only chance as she leaped forward, clearing the last wreck as a blinding white flash lit the night. The shockwave hit almost immediately after, sending her tumbling as mushroom clouds of fire roared toward the sky.

Valeria lay face down, stunned and deafened as burning junk rained from the sky around her. With a gasp of effort, she drug herself to her feet, forcing herself to run as the burning hulk of a car slammed into the street behind her. Valeria hoped the Vertibird had been caught in the explosions but more laser fire told her that it hadn't. In the distance, she could see the walls of the Citadel and she threw everything she had into one last sprint. She cleared a concrete barricade in one leap, but stumbled on her landing. Barely regaining her balance she dashed for the fortress preparing to leap the chain link fence when her luck ran out and her boot caught on a curb. Valeria went down hard, sliding to a stop at the base of the fence.

She could hear the roar of the Vertibird as it swooped down for the kill, as she desperately tried to force herself to her feet. Suddenly she heard the sounds of laser turrets firing, but not from behind her. She looked up to see gun emplacements on the wall of the Citadel firing. The Vertibird hovered for a moment, then a hit on its fuselage decided the matter and it swerved off, smoke trailing behind it. Gasping, Valeria watched Colonel Autumn flee, and then turned toward the Citadel. The turrets were silent, but she could see a heavily armed squad of Brotherhood knights advancing toward her. Shakily she got to her feet and limped toward the gate to meet them.


	27. Chapter 27

Valeria stood in the cavernous laboratory of the Citadel in the shadow of a giant robot as Sarah Lyons argued with her father. Outside the citadel the knights had detained her at the gate and Valeria was forced to stand with her hands on her head as they radioed for instructions. Soon Sarah Lyons herself arrived flanked by two grim-looking knights with the blue insignia of the Pride emblazoned on their armor. She was astonished to see Valeria, and ordered her guards to stand down and let her approach. Valeria quickly explained Colonel Autumn's situation at the purifier and was taken immediately to Owen Lyons, Sarah's father and leader of the Brotherhood.

"Colonel Autumn is making his move." Sarah said to her father. "You heard Valeria, with the GECK in his possession and Raven Rock destroyed he has nothing to lose."

"Our forces are too dispersed by the war with the supermutants." Elder Lyons replied. "We don't have the manpower to take the Purifier, even if the Enclave's energy fields were down."

"We can't just sit and do nothing! The enclave has air superiority, and they just now tested our defenses! We are all that stands between Autumn and domination of the Capital Wasteland!"

"There is a way into the Purifier." Valeria said. All eyes turned to her as she continued. "The intake pipes are empty and can be entered from the river. I know from experience that they lead to the sub-basement of the Jefferson Memorial."

Sarah turned excitedly to her father; "I can lead the Pride into the project and shut it down!"

"You would be completely cut off with no hope of reinforcements. It would be a suicide mission, the risk is simply too high."

"I agree." Added scribe Rothchild as he joined the group. "We simply don't know enough about the Enclave's defenses to risk an assault. According to Valeria there may be less pressure from the supermutants with Vault 87 destroyed. We can consolidate our forces and shore up our defenses."

"We don't have the time!" Sarah shouted. "Colonel Autumn isn't waiting for reinforcements, he doesn't have any! He can't assume we plan to just sit here and watch, he has to hit us while he has the advantage!"

At that moment the room shook as an explosion showered debris from the ceiling. Alarms began to shrill as Sarah swore and pulled out her laser rifle.

"We're out of time!" she shouted as she ran to the stairs leading to the Bailey, with Valeria close behind. The doors of the lab opened to a scene of chaos. Fires were everywhere as initiates and knights ran for cover and fired their weapons into the sky. With a roar, a Vertibird swooped over the courtyard as the wall turrets crisscrossed the sky with lasers.

Sarah and Valeria ran behind a sandbag emplacement where two knights were reloading their weapons. They both saluted as soon as they saw Sarah and one shouted, "The enclave is hitting us with everything they've got! The turrets are keeping the Vertibirds at bay, but they are getting knocked out one by one. We're also getting shelled by artillery from the memorial!"

An explosion showered them with debris as Sarah ordered, "Man the walls with every heavy weapon we have, support the turrets and keep the Vertibirds back!"

"Yes Sentinel!" The knight replied saluting, and the two ran into the smoky haze. Sarah turned to Valeria; "The Enclave is going to pound us into dust if we don't do something!"

Suddenly with a shriek of grinding metal, the steel circle in the middle of the Bailey began to separate as alarms sounded. After a moment, Valeria and Lyons saw the head and shoulders of the giant robot emerge from the lab below. Smoke and debris hid its massive form as the platform jerked to a stop, and then its visored head began to turn as it scanned the sky. One of the turrets suddenly exploded as a Vertibird swooped over the wall.

"Communist aggressor detected!" The robot bellowed, as a whirlwind of blue laser fire erupted from its visor. The Vertibird banked hard trying to avoid the blast, which ripped through its underside. The flaming wreckage spiraled over the wall as the Robot announced, "Target eliminated!"

"Rothchild got Liberty Prime working!" Sarah shouted then glanced up as an incoming round slammed into the courtyard, showering the two of them with debris. Coughing, Sarah got to her feet and ran through the dust and smoke toward the lab. Below they found Rothchild frantically typing on a monitor while Elder Lyons looked over his shoulder.

"Can you get it to move?" Elder Lyons asked.

"I don't know." He replied, not looking up from the monitor. "I can't believe it was able to fire effectively at all. We're fortunate our T45d armor is recognized by the robot as friendly."

Elder Lyons looked up as Sarah and Valeria approached, his face grim. "You were right Sarah, and now we have no choice. Any assault we attempt will be destroyed by the Enclave's Vertibirds unless we can get Liberty Prime to provide air cover."

He turned to Valeria, "The Enclave's attention is focused on the Citadel. Can you get into the Purifier to shut down the force fields?"

Valeria nodded, "I think so sir."

"I'm going with her." Sarah said firmly. "The rest of the Pride can man the walls and provide fire support. Kodiak will lead the assault once Liberty Prime gets online." Sarah waited for her father's reply as seconds ticked by.

"All right Sarah." Elder Lyons finally said. "But only because I have no choice."

Sarah nodded then turned to Valeria. "You are now promoted to honorary Pride member. Is there any gear you need?"

"I'm fine." Valeria replied with a smile. "Besides I doubt anything you have would fit me."

Sarah hefted her laser rifle and said, "Then let's go while the Citadel's still standing."

Sarah took enough time to remove her heavy armor leaving only her lighter recon suit as the citadel continued to shudder from repeated explosions. When the two women returned to the surface they found Liberty Prime still standing in the courtyard, its head turning as it scanned for targets. The walls of the citadel were battered but holding as artillery continued to pound the fortress. Sarah and Valeria ran through the partially raised front gate, heading into the darkness along the banks of the Potomac. Almost a mile down the shore, Valeria stopped at a decaying wooden dock. In the distance they could make out the dome of the Jefferson Memorial lit by flashes from artillery.

"What now?" Sarah asked.

"We swim." Valeria replied as she slapped the small of her back. "Climb on, we'll make better time."

"You're going to swim a contaminated river carrying me on your back?" Sarah shook her head then pulled a bottle of Rad X out of her pack, drank it with a cough, then put a breath mask on. Valeria turned and kneeled slightly as Sarah put her arms around her neck. Valeria stood easily and dove into the cold radioactive waters.

Sarah gasped as the current caught them and pulled them down into darkness. Then she felt a surge of power from Valeria's body as she pulled their heads out of the water with one powerful stroke. Sarah had seen Valeria's superhuman abilities in the battle for GNR, but the sheer impossibility of what she was achieving left her in awe. Valeria continued to swim across the river with no sign of panic or fatigue.

With surprising speed, they were soon at the bridge to the memorial. Valeria grabbed one of the supports and rested a moment, breathing deeply before she ducking into the water and under the bridge. Valeria and Sarah looked around the drainage pool with the massive intake pipes submerged below the surface. They could see the dark forms of enclave soldiers moving on the catwalk above, as well as the silhouettes of Vertibirds circling the memorial.

Sarah began to feel her grip weakening as the cold and the radiation she'd absorbed began to take its toll. Valeria still seemed unaffected as she looked at her companion with concern. Putting an arm around Sarah's waist, Valeria began to swim to the intake pipes with a powerful side stroke. As she reached a pipe she saw a large force of armored soldiers moving across the bridge at a jog. Valeria realized that the Enclave was committing ground troops to the assault. The reduction of forces at the Purifier was good news for them, but bad for the Brotherhood if Autumn was launching a final assault. Suddenly she felt Sarah's arms loosen and she turned to see her eyes fluttering closed. With a curse, Valeria dove under the water, pulling Sarah into the darkness of the intake pipe.

Once inside, Valeria activated her Pipboy light and lifted Sarah in her arms. Then she jammed her booted feet against one wall and her back against the other. Moving as quickly as possible, she walked herself up the pipe until she was able to throw her unconscious companion over the edge. With a heave she clambered after and began to search in Sarah's pack. Finding a stimpack and a pouch of Rad-Away, she quickly administered both after removing Sarah's filtration mask. Valeria then crouched and waited, hoping she had been in time. Soon Sarah's eyes opened and she looked about in momentary confusion. Seeing the rust encrusted tunnel walls, her expression cleared and she tried to sit up.

"Remind me not to try that again." Sarah said with a smile. Valeria smiled back, relieved that there appeared to be no lasting harm. Sarah quickly checked her rifle, and then began to advance in a crouch up the pipe. Valeria followed through the stifling darkness, her Pipboy providing the only light. After carefully making their way upwards through the pipes, Sarah held her hand up toward Valeria, then turned and pointed at her Pipboy. Valeria turned it off, and could see light from up ahead. Carefully crawling forward they looked down into the treatment pools of Project Purity.

Suddenly they heard the sound of a siren, causing them both to start. Shouts and the sound of metal boots running could be heard from down the corridors, but none coming near. A quiet beeping began to come from Valeria's Pipboy, alerting her that she was receiving a message on a Vault Tec frequency. Turning the volume down, she turned on the radio and she and Sarah listened to the sound of Elder Lyon's voice.

"I hope this message doesn't place you in peril Sarah, but Valeria's Pipboy was the fastest way to get it to you. We have Liberty Prime operational, more or less, and we are launching an assault. Good luck to you both…"

The message began to repeat and Valeria turned the radio off. "Autumn must be committing all of his reserves." Sarah whispered. "We have to get the fields off now or our forces will be trapped in the open." She then gauged how far the drop was to the pool below, and jumped. Valeria followed and the two climbed out and waited. It was still quiet, and Valeria turned on her light and led the way to Project Purity's Mainframe.

All of the armored troops had been called to the surface to support the assault on the Citadel. What remained were half a dozen enclave scientists maintaining the aging power relays in the mainframe chamber. Overseeing them were three tan uniformed Enclave officers armed with plasma pistols. They were completely unaware of any threat until they heard the rattle of a metallic object bouncing on the steel floor. One of the officers looked down to see a plasma grenade which detonated, filling the room with green fire. Burned and stunned, the surviving enclave personnel staggered to their feet only to be gunned down by Sarah Lyons with short bursts from her laser rifle.

Valeria ran to the monitor and began to access it, thankful that the Enclave had yet to change the operating protocols. Entering several commands she hit the enter key and straightened. Suddenly the lights went out, except for the red glow of the mainframes.

"I activated the program to reroute all power the Purifier." Valeria explained. "Dad used it when he tested the facility. Everything the Enclave has that isn't directly hooked into the Rotunda should be powered down."

Sarah nodded, "Good job Valeria, now all we have to do is hold out until our forces arrive."

"We should head to the Rotunda," Valeria suggested. "We can seal the emergency bulkhead, and the Enclave might hesitate before trying to blast their way in."

"Then let's go!"

Valeria and Sarah entered the gift shop of the memorial and found it dark and empty. Then they heard the sound of a struggle followed by a blow and a muffled cry of pain. "Now, now Madison." Came the voice of Colonel Autumn. "Let's not complicate the situation further shall we?"

Valeria heard the door of the Rotunda close as she and Sarah ran across the debris-strewn floor. Valeria kicked the door open and charged in. The lights were on in the Rotunda and she could see Madison Li standing at the foot of the stairs with Autumn directly behind her, pistol drawn.

"You again! I should have known you were behind this reversal." He glanced behind Valeria at Sarah who had her rifle aimed at his face.

"You are both to be congratulated." Autumn said with a smile. "One moment I'm about to end the Brotherhood's interference permanently, the next my forces are in retreat and the installation is compromised." He shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe Lyons was sitting on Liberty Prime all this time. I thought that monstrosity had been destroyed."

"Release Dr. Li or you're dead." Sarah said icily. Suddenly the Purifier shook from an explosion and the lights flickered wildly. Warning alarms began to sound as the emergency bulkhead slammed closed.

Both Dr. Li and Colonel Autumn glanced at the Purifier, and in that second Sarah shot him through the shoulder. With a curse, Autumn dropped to his knees, his pistol clattering to the ground. He reached for it with his other hand and found Valeria's boot on top of it. He sat back against the railing looking up at Valeria and Lyons.

"Do you realize what you've done?" He said gasping with pain. "With the purifier, the Enclave could have brought order to the Wasteland."

"We will do fine without you." Sarah replied calmly.

"The Brotherhood is too soft." Autumn sneered. "Lyons is too concerned with the cost to do what needs to be done. Your efforts create false hope and chaos!"

"No!" Cried Dr. Li from the top of the stairs. Everyone turned and saw her staring at a panel outside the bulkhead, her face white with horror.

"What is it?" Valeria asked.

"That explosion damaged the power relays to the Purifier!" Dr. Li shouted with panic in her voice. "Without regulation from the Purifier, the power surge from the GECK will destroy everything within ten miles!"

"Can we stop it?" Sarah asked, Autumn momentarily forgotten.

"I don't know!" Madison cried. "Maybe if the purifier was activated!"

Suddenly Autumn lunged for his pistol. He pointed the barrel toward the floor as Sarah's rifle snapped back to his face.

"No need." Autumn said quickly. " I know when I'm beaten. You should be familiar with that alarm Valeria, it's warning of lethal levels of radiation within the purifier. Whoever tries to activate it is going to die, whether or not the purifier works. If previous readings were any indication, even your mutant metabolism won't save you."

Valeria and Sarah looked at each other as Dr. Li leaned against the railing for support, her hand to her forehead.

"I have something for you Valeria." Autumn said. "Priority override 420-03-20-9. You may find that sequence useful if you survive. Whatever James told you, everything I've done was for the future of America." Before Sarah or Valeria could move, Colonel Autumn jerked the pistol under his chin and pulled the trigger. They stared for a moment at his body as the alarms shrilled around them, then Sarah turned to Valeria.

"Give me the activation code and get Dr. Li as far from here as you can!"

Valeria shook her head. "Thanks Sarah, but that's not going to happen. My parents started this project, I'm going to finish it."

"Oh my God." Dr. Li moaned, "It's going critical."

"There's no time Valeria, give me the code now!" Sarah demanded as she moved forward. She was in mid step when Valeria suddenly lunged forward, knocking Sarah sprawling off the platform then turning to leap up the stairs. She slapped the door panel closing the outer bulkhead behind her. Valeria then faced the inner door and with a deep breath, pressed the button to activate it.

Lashed by waves of invisible death, she advanced to the control panel that her father had died at. He had said she knew the code and his letter in the Vault made it clear that he felt she could continue his work. She looked at the number pad before as her body temperature began to rise and sweat began to pour off her. It had to be a sequence that would only be obvious to her. She wiped sweat from her eyes as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

In the Vault, she had guessed correctly that her mother's name was the password; it had to be something to do with her mother. Suddenly she remembered Catherine's favorite passage from the Bible, Revelations 21:6.

"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

Her vision blurring, Valeria typed in the numbers and pressed the enter key. She staggered as a massive surge of power vibrated through the purifier, and turned to look out the window into the rotunda. Sarah Lyons was there, her hand against the glass, her mouth moving as if she was trying to say something. Valeria staggered forward, tried to smile then fell forward against the wall. Her cheek pressed against the window as she tried to stand Valeria placed her palm against the hot glass. Sarah moved her hand to match Valeria's tears starting to fill her eyes.

Valeria tried to mouth a reassurance to Sarah, that it was better this way. Her life wasn't worth so much death; there was no place in the world for monsters like her. She was only able to open her mouth once, then her eyes closed and Valeria slid to the floor as the Purifier was filled with a blinding explosion of light.


	28. Chapter 28

"Wake up Valeria. It's time to take your GOAT exam."

Valeria opened her eyes to a brilliant white light. Then she heard her father's voice again.

"I don't make the rules honey, everyone has to take the GOAT."

"Where are you?" Valeria asked, her voice echoing around her.

"You need to hurry, the GOAT determines what you will do for the rest of your life."

"What life? I'm a lab experiment. I'm not even human!"

"Don't take it so hard honey. The GOAT is a reflection of what the Vault needs you to do, not what you truly are."

"Then what am I?"

"You're my daughter. You have to take the GOAT, but don't let it determine what you are. Only you can decide that."

James' voice began to fade, as did the light surrounding her.

"Don't leave me Dad!" Valeria cried as a beeping sound began to echo about her, along with a roar increasing steadily in volume. Valeria felt as if she was rushing from the bottom of a dark ocean to a light far above. With a shuddering gasp, Valeria's eyes snapped open to see a ceiling made of crumbling sheet rock.

Valeria turned her head and found she was on a gurney in a dark infirmary. She was covered with a thin sheet and had an IV needle inserted into the crook of her right arm. There was also a monitor near her head that beeped along with her heartbeat. For a moment she was bewildered, then it all came back to her with a rush. The Purifier, and her attempt to shut it down knowing that she would die in the attempt. Reaching over, Valeria pulled the IV out of her arm, noting the empty blood pack hanging nearby. She then sat up and began to pull the electrodes off of her chest and forehead. She felt astonishingly well considering what she remembered going through.

As she removed the electrodes, the monitor next to her began to emit a steady warning beep. The door opened and a woman in the red robes of a Brotherhood scribe entered. She looked at Valeria who was sitting naked on the gurney, and visibly started.

"You're awake." She stammered as she composed herself. "Please don't stand up." The scribe looked up into Valeria's face and flashed a light in her eyes. "Pupils reactive to light, good." She murmured, and then she took Valeria's wrist in her hand and checked her pulse, the entire time keeping her attention fixed on each task.

"Stay seated until I get back." The scribe said, trying to stare only at Valeria's face. You've been convalescent for a while."

"How long?"

"Over two weeks." The scribe replied as she hurriedly left the room, closing the door behind her.

Valeria realized that if she was in the custody of the Brotherhood, they must have won the battle for the Purifier. She looked for something to wear, and saw only the sheet. With a shrug she held it over her breasts and arranged its remaining folds over her lap. The door opened again, and this time Elder Lyons entered, smiling as he saw her.

"I am very pleased to see you're awake. After two weeks we were beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up."

"What happened at the Purifier sir?"

"It was a very near thing." Elder Lyons replied, his face grim. "Liberty Prime exceeded our expectations, but the Enclave fought fanatically. We took casualties we could ill afford. Paladins Vargas and Colvin from the Pride, and many others. Liberty Prime also sustained a considerable amount of damage. After the energy surge from the Purifier the remaining Enclave forces retreated but we lacked the manpower to pursue them."

Elder Lyons sighed heavily then continued. "We found you all unconscious in the Purifier. Sarah and Dr. Li didn't wake up until hours later, you on the other hand." He shook his head in wonder. "You had absorbed a terrible amount of radiation, as well as being exposed to the energies the GECK released. The radiation in the chamber had lessened to a level where we could recover you, but we expected you to be dead."

Elder Lyons smiled and shook his head. "My dear, you are a truly remarkable individual. We had to treat you while wearing radiation suits. Somehow you seemed to metabolize both the radiation and the blood plasma we gave you. However we could detect very little brain activity, and your physiology is so strange we had no idea what was normal for you. For the most part all we could do was observe your vitals and let your body heal."

"So Sarah and Dr. Li are all right?"

"Yes." Lyons replied. "My daughter is currently leading a recon expedition into the Wasteland and Dr. Li returned to Rivet City. I suspect she intends to lose herself in her work for a while."

"Sarah's in the Wasteland?"

"Yes, against my better judgment. As soon as our physicians said she had recovered, she insisted she accompany one of the water caravans on its rounds."

"Water caravans?"

"The purifier is cleaning an astonishing volume of water, but it is still contained in the tidal basin. The rest of the wasteland may have to wait years to benefit from it, so we have made arrangements with local traders to distribute water across the wastes. It is a monumental task, made all the more difficult by the fact that many of the caravans are vanishing."

"Are they being attacked by raiders?"

"The caravans are well armed, and some have been protected by Brotherhood knights who volunteered for the duty. I fear this is something else, and my daughter insisted on traveling with the latest caravan." Elder Lyons sighed heavily. "I fear my daughter can be very headstrong at times."

"Yes sir." Valeria replied with a smile. "And I want to thank you for everything you've done for me."

"No my dear, it is I who should thank you. If it weren't for your heroism at the purifier we would all be dead. It was the act of a true hero, and we are all grateful."

Valeria looked away, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I'm no hero sir, I just did what had to be done."

"My dear," Said Elder Lyons. "I think you would find all heroes feel the same way."

Suddenly, a loud rumble came from Valeria's abdomen. Startled, she looked down as Lyons chuckled. "We will send you some food, I'm sure you are ready for something more substantial."

"Thank you sir, but if I may make a…request?" Valeria looked down, not wanting to see what Elder Lyons reaction would be. "I need protein, meat if possible." She glanced up at his silence, and saw him still smiling.

"Have no fear, we found some of Colonel Autumn's data on you at the Purifier. Of course we will provide you with what you need. I will have your armor sent to you as well. We took the liberty of repairing and resizing it."

"Resizing?"

"Yes, you seem to have gained some height and muscle mass during your convalescence. After you finish eating, Rothchild would like to run some tests if that is agreeable to you?"

Valeria nodded and Elder Lyons left her alone with her thoughts.

A few hours later, Valeria was in the Citadel armory standing between two metal pillars with her hands on steel beam.

"Is this right?" She asked Rothchild who was standing behind a monitor across the room. He glanced up and nodded before returning his gaze to the monitor.

"Don't worry, the press will stop automatically so it won't crush you. This device is used to stress test our power suits, so be sure to tell us if you experience any discomfort."

"You will tell us won't you?" Said Star Paladin Cross with a smile as she stood with her arms folded. The fortress Seneschal was a tall woman with dark, handsome features and a massive suit of armor covered by a tabard bearing the symbol of the brotherhood.

"If it hurts, I'll let you know." Said Valeria with a smile. "I'm ready to start sir."

"Actually we've already started." Rothchild replied raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"I'll raise the pressure gradually, and you tell us how you're doing."

Valeria nodded as the press began to vibrate, shifting her feet slightly for comfort. After a minute, the two looked up at her and Rothchild asked, "Anything?"

"I'm feeling some pressure." Valeria admitted, "Nothing I can't handle."

"Okay…" Said Rothchild, "Perhaps a little more than." Cross reached past his shoulder and turned the dial with a quick twist.

"What are you doing?" Rothchild demanded.

"Speeding this up. I think she can take it." Cross replied, narrowing her eyes as she watched Valeria.

Valeria's knees buckled slightly as the pressure on her shoulders jumped. Gritting her teeth, the muscles and tendons of her arms and legs quivering, she stopped the press's decent and stood immobile as its servos began to whine.

"That's enough." Rothchild said quickly, hitting a button on the panel. The press stopped with a bang, and the beam began to rise. Valeria stepped out from under it and wiped her forehead with her arm.

"How did I do?"

"My dear girl." Rothchild replied shaking his head. "You held over five-hundred pounds without any apparent strain, and managed to hold the beam at its maximum setting of one ton! Your strength and endurance are astounding!"

Cross approached Valeria and looked up into her face. Resting her gauntleted hand on Valeria's shoulder she said, "You are every bit the warrior the reports have stated. If you would permit me the honor, I wish to give you a gift." Reaching behind her, she lifted a massive sledge from her back and held it out to Valeria.

"Thank you." Valeria said, taking the weapon in her hands and testing its weight.

"It is the same design as a super sledge, but with all the components enlarged to accommodate your size. It is also utilizing solid titanium in the components normally left hollow or made of lighter materials to manage weight." Cross stepped back and nodded at Valeria's easy handling of the massive hammer.

"Use it well and with honor."

Valeria slung the hammer on her back and smiled at the Seneschal. "Thank you. I'm not sure what I'll be doing with it. Now that the Purifier is working, my parents' dream has been realized." Valeria looked down, suddenly self-conscious.

"I don't know what to do now. All I've done is survive since I left the Vault. I still can't believe that I'm standing here talking to you."

"All of us who have faced death are reborn. You have been given another chance, and a new appreciation of how every moment must be seized and cherished." Cross smiled and added, "It also appears that destiny has chosen you to reap the whirlwind. Your next path will doubtless choose you."

Rothchild wanted to run more tests, but Valeria was impatient to see the Purifier and soon set out from the Citadel. She had to see it working after so many had sacrificed and died for it. The sky was dark with clouds and the evidence of battle littered the ground. The bodies had already been carried from the field, but craters and the burned out hulks of Vertibirds testified to the ferocity of the battle to take back the Purifier.

When Valeria finally arrived at the Jefferson Memorial she climbed down a series of catwalks leading to a huge containment pool. The air was heavy with moisture as vast quantities of water roared from the pipes she and Sarah had used to infiltrate the facility.

"Well mom, dad, we did it." Valeria said as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

She watched the water roar into the containment pool for a while, then having nowhere else to go began to walk to the memorial. Valeria had been thinking about what she would do ever since she left the Citadel. For the first time in her life there was no outside force determining her actions and she found herself feeling lost. She did consider returning to Agatha's refuge and seeing Marie, but then she remembered what she had learned at the Citadel. Apparently there was still a bounty for her life being offered by person's unknown. That was a matter she would be forced to address if she had any intention of staying in the Capital Wasteland. Then a thought brought her up short. Did she plan to stay? She had never considered the possibility of leaving the Capital Wasteland before. Her parents had come from the West Coast, were the answers to her questions out there?

After her battles with the Supermutants a terrible suspicion had grown in her mind. The mutants apparently continued to grow until they eventually became Behemoths. Elder Lyons had been correct that she had grown larger, was it her fate to become a giant ravening monster? The thought chilled her to her soul, and suddenly she knew what she had to do. Her parents' legacy was finally realized, now there was only the mystery of what she was, and what she would become. Marie was far safer with Agatha, and not just from bounty hunters.

Lost in thought, Valeria passed a trading caravan; it's heavily armed guards loading crates of bottled water on massive pack Brahmin. The caravan master was shaking hands with a Brotherhood scribe, apparently concluding a deal. Knowing the value of pure water in the wasteland, Valeria suspected that the Brotherhood was doing well for itself, even if it was selling at a discount. The scribe turned and spotting her ran forward with a look or urgency.

"You must be Valeria." He said. "We just got a message from Elder Lyons."

"What is it?"

"We've lost contact with Sentinel Lyons. The last transmission from her was that she was under attack from Talon Company mercenaries. He felt you needed to know."

Valeria nodded and the scribe saluted then returned to his post. Valeria turned to look to the west, her face grim. Seneschal Cross was right; destiny had chosen her next course. The bounty on her head had forced her to abandon Marie and almost got her father killed. She began to run back toward the Citadel as she remembered the last thing she saw before she had lost consciousness. Sarah's hand pressed against the glass, her face grief-stricken. Sarah was the closest thing to a friend Valeria had left and she wasn't going to rest until she found her.

And she wasn't going to let Talon Company stand in her way.


	29. Chapter 29

Lucas Simms spent most of his day walking a "beat" around the town of Megaton. There wasn't much trouble in the small town, partly from his reputation as the town's Sheriff, and partly from people being too tired from daily survival to do more than drink and go home. That didn't mean things didn't happen at all, such as when someone rigged the bomb in the center of town to explode. A stranger from the Vault named Valeria disarmed it and nearly died from radiation poisoning. Her subsequent mutation into a giant had caused a sensation before she left town. Few citizens asked about the circumstances leading to Valeria's mutation, and that suited Simms fine. He had his suspicions about who set the bomb, but he didn't see any use in letting the citizens of Megaton know that someone wanted them all dead.

Simms hadn't seen Valeria when she faced down Moriarty and freed Gob, but he heard about it and was pleased the saloon owner had been taken down a peg. Not long after black armored soldiers of the Enclave stormed through the gates led by a Colonel Autumn. Simms didn't like allowing them in but he knew when he was outgunned. When the Colonel started asking questions about Valeria, Simms politely but firmly refused to tell him anything. The Sheriff didn't know Valeria well, but he owed the girl his life and he didn't take that debt lightly.

The Colonel was furious and threatening, but Simms was a pretty good judge of character. Autumn was trying to show who was in charge, but he wasn't about to start a bloodbath to make his point. Instead he went to Moriarty's, and the Saloon owner was more than happy to tell the Colonel everything he knew. The Colonel didn't stay long, and shortly afterwards word arrived that he had been killed in a battle with the Brotherhood of Steel.

Then caravans began to arrive with shipments of pure water the traders claimed came from a facility under the control of the Brotherhood. It looked like the brotherhood was starting to expand their presence in the wasteland, a fact that didn't please the Sheriff. The Brotherhood was more altruistic but he found their members to be just as militant and inflexible as the Enclave.

Lost in his thoughts, Simms found that he had walked to Megaton's main gate. He stood under the floodlights for a moment, and then turned at the sound of heavy boots mounting the steps behind him. Approaching from below was a heavily armed mercenary with the white claw of Talon Company emblazoned on his breastplate. His eyes were hidden behind dark goggles, but the sneer on his dark bearded lips was unmistakable. Lucas had only heard rumors of the mercenaries who suddenly seemed to be everywhere in the Southern DC area. They were said to have migrated north from Georgia after losing a factional war. The first time Simms had met any of them was when three walked through the front gate over a week ago.

Simms confronted them as he did all visitors to Megaton, and instantly read them as trouble. Their leader, Jubal, clearly didn't like Simms and the feeling was mutual. The three swaggered around Megaton and set up residence in Moriarty's, which didn't surprise Simms in the least. If there was trouble in Megaton, more often than not Moriarty was involved.

"Evening Sheriff." Jubal growled with mock civility. Simms nodded, stone faced at the mercenary.

"Can I help you?" Simms rumbled politely as it became clear that Jubal was waiting for a response.

"Yes you can Simms." Jubal replied, pointedly dropping the honorific. "My boys went out to meet with a trader, a Doc Hoff. They haven't come back and I mean to find out why."

"You're welcome to go look, just mind that we lock up after dark."

"My boys are the best, if they've gone missing, you should be curious why Simms."

"Nope." Replied the Sheriff. "They're your 'boys' and your problem." Simms tipped his hat to the mercenary and started to walk past him when the ground shook from an explosion. Simms whirled as a flash from beyond the wall lit the dark clouds overhead.

"Sheriff!" Shouted Stockholm from his lookout. "That came from Springvale! I think I'm seeing gunshots too!"

"Can you see anything else?"

"It's too dark Sheriff! Looks like a firefight, must have lit a car!"

"I'll check it out!" Simms shouted, "Close the gate behind me when I leave!"

As Simms ran through the tunnel to the outer gate, he realized that Jubal was close behind him. He unslung his Chinese assault rifle and resolved not to let the mercenary stay behind him too long.

The town of Springvale was a ruin, with only burned out shells flanking the pitted remains of what was once Main Street. Jubal led the way as they saw the flaming wreckage of a car. The ancient vehicles often had decaying fusion cores, turning some of the wrecks into bombs. The bodies of the two mercenaries were sprawled on the crumbling asphalt, lit by dying flames of the burning wreck. Jubal ran to one of his men and turned him over with his foot. Meanwhile, Simms surveyed the dark ruins looking for a possible ambush.

"Drop the gun Simms." Came a voice from behind him. Simms froze, and then shook his head chuckling ruefully.

"Damn I must be getting old," he said as he dropped his rifle and turned around. All three mercenaries were standing and walking toward him with their weapons leveled.

"I admit, I'm surprised you fell for that." Jubal said as his men flanked Simms and grabbed his arms. One then forced the Sheriff to kneel by kicking him behind the knees.

"That's the beauty of nukes." Jubal said conversationally. "They're so scary that everyone stops thinking when they hear the boom."

Simms glared at the mercenary as Jubal slung his weapon and cracked his knuckles. "I don't like you Simms, but normally I'd still extend you the professional courtesy of a quick death. Unfortunately for you, my employer made two specific requests. The first was to make you suffer, and the other was to give you Moriarty's regards."

Jubal smashed Simms across the face with his gauntleted fist, and then stood back. Simms spat out a mouthful of blood, and slowly looked up smiling. Jubal nodded and raised his fist.

"The bonus is that I get to be Sheriff after you're dead." Then he hit Simms again. Simms coughed, then looked up and started to laugh.

"Something funny?"

"Yep." Said the Sheriff, "Nukes aren't the only thing distracting around here." Jubal was about to demand what Simms meant when he saw his men's jaws drop with shock. The mercenary didn't even try to turn around, instead throwing himself to the ground as a super sledge missed him by inches. The other mercenaries dropped Simms and were grabbing for their guns when a murderous back swing caught one in the side, crushing his breastplate and smashing him into his partner. Knocked sprawling, the mercenary got a glimpse of fangs and burning white eyes before the hammer came down on him.

Jubal rolled to his feet and pitched a plasma grenade at the back of the giant armored woman who had just killed his men. She whirled as the grenade bounced toward her, and then tried to jump clear when it exploded, enveloping her in a cloud of green fire. Jubal pulled out his plasma rifle as he saw the mutant hit the street. Suddenly, he recalled the description of Valeria on the bounty Talon Company had yet to collect on. Realizing he was about to avenge his men and collect one thousand caps, he leveled his rifle at Valeria's head, and then died as Simms shot him through the neck.

Her head ringing, Valeria shook it trying to clear her eyes. Suddenly she saw a hand extended toward her and she looked up into the battered face of Lucas Simms.

"Damn girl, that's the second time you've saved my hide." Simms said with a smile. "I'm definitely getting too old for this shit."

Back in Megaton it had been a slow night at Moriarty's Saloon. Only a few regulars showed up, and they drank their rotgut of choice, dropped their caps on the counter and left. Nova didn't feel like plying her trade that night. The whore turned her gaze to Moriarty, and her practiced eye noted the tension beneath his feigned nonchalance. He kept glancing at the door as he wiped the counter or checked inventory. Moriarty had always had a temper, but without Gob to smack around it had become worse. Nova mostly stayed out of his way, taking advantage of the fact that he was reluctant to damage his best sources of caps.

When the Talon Company mercenaries arrived, the tone of the bar darkened considerably. The three men had an air about them that frightened a lot of the customers off. What made Nova suspicious was that Moriarty didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was almost cheerful when he spoke with their leader Jubal. The appraising looks Jubal sent her way showed his interest, but something in his eyes made Nova uneasy. So far, Moriarty hadn't set her up with any of the mercs, but she had a nasty feeling it was because he was saving her for later, perhaps as a special reward.

Nova started when she heard the explosion. Sounds of ordinance going off wasn't unusual, but this blast was close. Moriarty looked up and smiled slightly, then turned away from the door and started whistling a slow tune. Every survival instinct Nova had was warning her that something was happening that night. Her common sense told her to get out of the bar, but curiosity kept her in the corner with her arms crossed, watching.

Moriarty felt the tension flow out of him when he heard the blast. Jubal and his men planned to draw Lucas out into a private killing zone, and Moriarty suspected the explosion was how they were going to do it. Moriarty despised Lucas Simms and his anachronistic notions of frontier law and justice. As long as the citizens of Megaton knew who was really in charge, Moriarty allowed Simms to parade around in his hat and duster pretending to be sheriff.

Then that mutant freak from Vault 101 showed up and ruined everything. After vanishing for months, she walked in and forced him to back down in his own establishment. Moriarty could sense that some of the fear and respect he commanded had left with her. It was time to prove who was in charge once and for all and the first step was to get some muscle. The Enclave wasn't open to recruitment, but he was able to direct their considerable power against Valeria. Then the Talon Company Mercs showed up. They were perfect, tough, mean, and easily swayed by the jingle of caps. It didn't take long before he talked their leader Jubal into making a move on Simms in return for becoming Sheriff of Megaton. He even threw in Nova's future favors to sweeten the deal. Simms could be a tough customer, but against those professional killers he was as good as dead.

Moriarty leaned against the bar and lit one of his cigars. He only regretted that he wasn't there to see Simms's end. Jubal and his men knew their work; there would be no proof the sheriff was killed on his orders. Everyone would suspect, but that was perfectly fine. He exhaled a cloud of smoke with a satisfied smile then heard the door to the bar open. He turned to stub out the cigar and froze.

Lucas Simms stood in the doorway, cuts and bruises on his expressionless face. He stepped forward and the mutant freak Valeria entered behind him, ducking her head slightly to enter the door. Moriarty deliberately finished putting out his cigar, his face hiding his shock and rage. Moriarty had no illusions; he was truly fucked.

"Welcome!" He said with his customary insincerity. "What brings such illustrious guests to my humble establishment?"

"Cut the shit." Simms replied, his voice low and dangerous. "I know you sent those assholes after me. Right now I'm wondering why I'm not wasting bullets on your worthless hide."

"Oh?" Moriarty said raising his eyebrows in mock surprise. "Do you have any proof of these outrageous slanders?"

In reply Lucas reached into his coat, pulled something out and tossed it on the bar. Moriarty glanced down and saw that it was a holotape.

"Funny thing about mercs," Simms said casually. "They're always looking out for number one. I'm guessing that Jubal recorded your deal in case you felt like double-crossing him."

Moriarty spread his hands on the bar, still smiling as he said, "Well then, I guess you have me. What do you intend to do Sheriff? Enact some of your 'frontier justice'?"

"No." Replied Simms with a grim smile. "Not yet anyway. You have until sunup to get out-of-town. Do anything to piss me off before then, and you'll find me a lot less forgiving."

Moriarty dropped his genial façade and glared at Simms and Valeria with open hatred.

"This isn't over." He snarled.

Simms shrugged and replied, "You have until sunup, and I suggest you start packing." Simms and Valeria then turned and walked out of the bar to the balcony.

"Damn that felt good." Simms said as he leaned on the railing.

"You'll look after Nova?" Valeria asked.

"Don't worry any about her. Wouldn't surprise me if she ends up running the place." He then stood from the rail and faced Valeria.

"Will you be staying in town long?"

"No sir." Valeria replied with a shake of her head. "I'm just passing through on my way west. I was only planning to stay the night if anyplace was open."

"Stop by Lucy West's common house. After what you did for her brother I bet she'll put you up for the night free of charge."

"Thanks for everything Sheriff." Valeria said as she extended her hand.

"Hell, I'm the one who should be thanking you." Simms replied as he clasped her arm in reply.

"Good luck girl."

Valeria smiled and nodded and Simms watched as she turned and strode into the darkness.


	30. Chapter 30

Night had fallen over the wasteland when three heavily armed Talon company mercenaries approached Tenpenny Tower. The tower was the only intact building for miles, and it rose out of the waste like a beacon to a lost era. It was actually a pre-war high-rise hotel that had been restored to most of its formal glory by the eccentric warlord Allistair Tenpenny. A jagged wall of concrete surrounded the base, the only acknowledgement of the Dark Age that existed outside.

As the mercenaries neared Tenpenny Tower, their leader noticed a Vertibird parked in front with two armored enclave soldiers standing nearby. The mercenaries sneered with both disdain and envy. They didn't need fancy armor to be a force to be reckoned with, but they did respect the Enclave's air power. The three approached the gate and their leader stepped forward to activate the intercom.

"Jabsco. Tenpenny's expecting me." He growled.

"You can head up." Came the reply from the intercom. "Tenpenny's in the penthouse, your men wait outside."

Commander Jabsco turned to his men and said. "You heard the man, wait here and don't get into trouble." Both of his guards nodded and stepped back. Jabsco turned as the iron gates rolled open and entered the courtyard beyond. He strode through the lobby, dismissing Tenpenny's tan armored guards as pretentious posers. They spent their day guarding an ivory tower and talking tough while he and his men were knee-deep in the filth and blood of the wasteland.

The ride to the top floor was in the first functioning elevator Jabsco had seen since coming to the wasteland. The elevator muzak that filled the air was both novel and extremely irritating to the mercenary. With a ding it opened at the top floor and Jabsco strode out. A well dressed woman, attractive except for the disdainful sneer on her face glanced at him as she clicked past in her heels. Jabsco gave her a slow grin that wiped the sneer off her face and made her hurry around the corner. He chuckled as he imagined his men bringing the terror of the wastes into Tenpenny Tower. Perhaps one day, but first he had a job to do.

A guard opened the door to Tenpenny's private suite and informed Jabsco that he was receiving visitors on the balcony. Jabsco had heard that was the old man's favorite spot as he could look over the world from on high, as well as indulge his passion for shooting at whatever moving targets struck his fancy. Jabsco paused a second as he passed an indoor garden with a colorful display of flowers. Jabsco had no love of gardening, but the variety of blooms was very unusual in the wastes, and a testament to the lengths Tenpenny could go to satisfy his whims.

The door to the balcony opened to the night sky with a constant breeze as a reminder of how high they were. Tenpenny in his trademark red coat and riding boots was sitting near the rail. Standing just behind him, inscrutable in his fedora and dark glasses was his right hand man Burke. In front of Tenpenny stood a dark-haired woman in the uniform of an Enclave officer. They all looked up as the mercenary entered.

"Ah Commander Jabsco, now we can begin our little meeting." Tenpenny said with a smile as he waved the mercenary in. "Mr. Burke you already know, but you haven't met Colonel Romanova of the Enclave special operations division."

Jabsco glanced at Romanova, giving her a brief nod. The Enclave officer glanced in his direction, and then returned her attention to Tenpenny. Jabsco took an instant dislike to Romanova, but hid his irritation behind an easy smile.

"I've called you here to compare notes as to how all our little ventures are faring." Said Tenpenny pleasantly. "As you are aware, until recently the Brotherhood of Steel has been preoccupied with their struggle against the supermutants. This curtailed their activities in the wasteland, a circumstance I found very agreeable." Jabsco crossed his arms as he waited for Tenpenny to get to the point. There was a lot about Tenpenny that annoyed the mercenary, but his caps bought a lot of tolerance.

"Now the supermutant issue appears to have been resolved, and with the Purifier providing them with an unlimited supply of uncontaminated water giving them leverage they are moving back into the wasteland."

"Which would be irrelevant if Autumn hadn't betrayed the President and forced the Enclave to mobilize before we were ready!" Romanova snapped, anger flashing in her eyes. "The Brotherhood would still be hiding in the Citadel if his attack hadn't forced them to act."

"Perhaps." Tenpenny replied calmly. "But the moves have been made and now it is our turn to counter them." Tenpenny looked at Jabsco. "In light of that, how have your efforts been faring?"

Jabsco scowled knowing perfectly well that Burke had been keeping Tenpenny abreast of current developments. For the time being he resigned himself to playing Tenpenny's game.

"I don't have the manpower to fortify the settlements, but we've shown everyone who's in charge." Jabsco rumbled. "If the locals want to get friendly with the Brotherhood, they'll remember we were here first and we're watching."

"How have your efforts in Megaton progressed?" Tenpenny asked, his voice deceptively pleasant.

Jabsco could play that game too. "The men I sent haven't reported in. Apparently they got themselves killed."

"Megaton giving you some trouble?" Burke drawled.

"No more than for you." Jabsco replied with a grin as he watched the sneer leave Burke's face.

"What about your operations against the Brotherhood's water distribution?" Tenpenny asked.

"We've been hijacking every caravan within a hundred miles of Fort Bannister." Jabsco replied with a fierce grin. "It must be hurting them if they were willing to send Sarah Lyons."

"You have Sarah Lyons in your custody?" Romanova snapped, turning to Jabsco in surprise.

"Until Tenpenny pays me to something else with her, yes." Jabsco replied.

"Lyons will never give in to any demands. She is an enemy of the United States and I demand you hand her over to the Enclave to be tried for treason!"

"Treason?" Said Tenpenny with a cackle. "How quaint. My dear, Sarah Lyons is a valuable piece in our little game, and not one I intend to discard." For an instant, the façade of the genial old man dropped, and Tenpenny's eyes became cold and calculating. Romanova stared at Tenpenny, then glared at Jabsco who stood with his arms folded, grinning at her consternation. Realizing she had no means to force the issue, Romanova composed herself and returned her attention to Tenpenny, her face impassive except for the rage burning in her eyes.

"How has your part been progressing?" Tenpenny asked as if nothing had transpired.

"Operation Omega is proceeding as planned. Our forces have regrouped at Andrews Air Force Base and President Eden has gained control of all base facilities. Soon we will be ready to launch our assault against the Brotherhood in the DC ruins."

Jabsco stared intently at Romanova as he digested the news. Romanova's tone suggested that she had absolute confidence that the Enclave would defeat the Brotherhood. She was a fanatic, but Jabsco didn't think she was being overconfident. With the Enclave's forces at least halved by both the destruction of Raven Rock and their defeat at the Purifier, the Colonel must have found some serious firepower at the base. More importantly, Jabsco knew that Tenpenny wanted him to hear about it. If the old man was trying to scare him with the Enclave it wasn't going to work. The Brotherhood was still a force to be reckoned with, and after the two battered each other awhile, Talon company would be waiting to pick up the pieces.

"Very good." Tenpenny said with a nod. "Now there is another player in the game you should be aware of. I have it on good authority that James's daughter Valeria survived the battle at the Purifier." Romanova's eyebrows raised at the news and Jabsco shrugged.

"Good." The mercenary replied. "Gives me another chance to collect the bounty."

"You may find that more difficult then you think." Tenpenny said as he leaned back in his chair. "It appears she was responsible for the men you lost at Megaton. That girl has demonstrated an astonishing knack for survival, as I'm sure Colonel Romanova can attest." Tenpenny nodded at Romanova who glared back

"It would be in your best interests to be on the lookout for the girl. Jabsco's men know their work and have yet to collect the price I put on her head. The former Colonel Autumn also fared poorly in his attempts to neutralize her."

Jabsco and Romanova both scowled united in their mutual dislike of Tenpenny as the aging warlord deliberately provoked them.

"That should put us all on the same page." Tenpenny said with a wide smile. "There is much to be done and we all have our roles. Jabsco, you are to keep Ms. Lyons in custody until I decide she is no longer needed. Between you efforts and Romanova's, the Brotherhood will soon cease to be a power in the Capital Wasteland. Now, can I interest anyone in a game of chess? Fresh opponents are so difficult to come by these days." He glanced about. "No? Then our business here is concluded. Cheerio!"

After the two left, Tenpenny gazed thoughtfully at the chessboard while rubbing his chin.

"How long do you think they'll play along?" Burke asked.

"For now we have a balance of power which will hold a little longer." Tenpenny replied not looking up from the board. "The Enclave has been weakened and Talon Company is spread thin. The Brotherhood represents a common enemy and Jabsco and Romanova will focus their efforts on eliminating them. For now the perception that we need each other is still valid."

"Then what?"

"That is the question, isn't it Mr. Burke?" Tenpenny replied as he picked up a pawn from the board and turned it thoughtfully in his fingers.

"We are in the final moves of a most dangerous game. There is no room for error, and we much choose our next move very carefully indeed." Tenpenny continued to stare at the pawn as Burke watched with his arms folded.

"All that remains is choosing the correct piece to play…"


	31. Chapter 31

Commander Jabsco strode through Fort Bannister as a cold night wind whipped the flames of the burn barrels sending up clouds of sparks. From the surface, Fort Bannister looked more like a camp then a fort, with concrete ruins, tents and wooden guard posts reinforced with sandbags. The nukes from the Great War didn't leave much on the surface, but the fortifications below, including a missile silo, were mostly intact. Anyone who assumed the Fort was an easy target based on visible defenses was in for a very nasty surprise.

Jabsco descended into a crater surrounded by a ring of concrete walls. It was where he had the command tents pitched, and where Talon Company kept their few prisoners. Keeping prisoners cost caps, making ransoming a costly venture. Currently Sarah Lyons was the only prisoner, and they kept her tied up in one of the tents. She had been traveling in disguise with a water caravan when Talon Company ambushed it. It didn't take long to realize they were fighting something more than a Rivet City police peace officer. Lyons fought hard, killing two mercenaries and wounding a third in hand-to-hand fighting. The only reason she was still breathing was because the platoon leader recognized her before she was summarily executed with the other prisoners.

Jabsco ducked under a tent flap as he entered the prison tent. A small battery-powered lantern cast a glow on Sarah as she slept on a mattress. Her eyes were already open as she sat up, her face expressionless. Jabsco noticed her plate of Cram and InstaMash was empty. He knew better than to assume that her defiance had ended. Lyons was keeping up her strength and waiting for an opportunity to escape. Turning a folding chair around, he sat and regarded her through his dark goggles, his hand resting on his Magnum.

"No word from daddy yet." Jabsco announced conversationally. "My employer insists I keep you alive, although I really don't see the point."

"My father will do nothing you ask, so I don't either." Sarah replied calmly.

"You've got spirit, I like that." Jabsco said with a nod. "You and I both know the Brotherhood has nothing left after that fight for the Purifier. There's blood in the water and the sharks are circling."

"And you're one of them I presume?" Sarah said, her face impassive.

"One of many, but I intend to come out on top." Jabsco smiled as he leaned back. "I like your grit. You should consider joining the winning side." Sarah glared at him and looked away, clearly finished with the conversation.

"Sir!" A guard said peering into the tent. "We have a prisoner!"

"So deal with it!" Jabsco snapped.

"You need to see this one." The mercenary insisted. Jabsco scowled as he stared at Lyons' profile, then stood and left the tent.

Jabsco strode out of the crater to the center of the camp where a clearing was formed by tents and burn barrels. In the center stood two mercenaries with their bound prisoner standing between them. Jabsco's eyes widened as he got a better look in the firelight. The prisoner's "armor" covered very little and her gender was plain despite her massive musculature. Jabsco was also not a short man, yet he found himself looking up into the woman's white eyes as she gazed calmly at him from under a shock of white hair.

"We caught her walking toward the main gate. Said she was looking for the commander."

"You must be Valeria." Jabsco said as he regarded her. "There can't be two freaks like you walking around. There's a thousand caps for your corpse, so either you're real stupid or you have a plan."

He turned to one of his men. "Tell the sentries if anything bigger then a mole-rat is spotted out there I want to know about it!" He then turned back to Valeria and abruptly hit her in the abdomen. She dropped to her knees, and looked up at him snarling. Jabsco scowled and flexed his fingers. She went down readily enough, but the mutant's stomach was as unyielding as a sandbag. His next punch smashed across her face, snapping her head to the left. Valeria coughed and turned her face back to snarl at him, her fangs red with blood.

"So you're what's scaring the p*** out of Romanova." Jabsco sneered. "Can't say I see what the fuss is all about." This time he backhanded Valeria, snapping her head to the right. Again she glared at him, blood trickling from her nose and the corner of her mouth. Jabsco massaged his hand for a second. Normally he would be feeling bone and cartilage breaking under his blows, but he could tell Valeria was only suffering superficial damage. She was tough; he'd give her that.

"Put her in the tent with Lyons!" He snapped as he stepped back. His men dragged Valeria to her feet and shoved her toward the crater. Jabsco watched them go, and then looked into the darkness thoughtfully. He didn't think much of Romanova or the Enclave, but he didn't dismiss them as incompetents either. Valeria wanted to be caught, and until he found out why he was going to postpone collecting the bounty. It also occurred to him that he could use the mutant against Romanova and Tenpenny. They may have been allies, but he didn't trust either the fanatical officer or the two-faced millionaire. Romanova intended to conquer the DC wasteland, an ambition he shared. It was only a matter of time before their ambitions collided in a bloody showdown.

Then a thought struck him and he chuckled. Some of his boy's tastes ran to the "extreme". Valeria could be a nice diversion, and she was clearly tough enough to survive some rough treatment. The bounty was for "dead"; her condition prior to that state was irrelevant. Jabsco chuckled as he lit a cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke. He considered increasing the guards on the wall but quickly dismissed the idea. Aside from some watchtowers with night vision-equipped sentries, most of his force was underground. Only the truly foolhardy dared to approach the Fort, so he saw no need to beef up security. His cigarette glowed as he inhaled, then started walking toward a rusted steel bunker in the shadow of a steep rocky hillside.

Back in the prison tent, Sarah Lyons heard the guards coming and was sitting up when a familiar figure was shoved through the opening.

"Valeria!" She cried in astonishment as Valeria smiled in reply. Glancing back at the door, Valeria knelt in front of Sarah.

"I've come to rescue you."

"Did you come alone?" Sarah asked, looking at Valeria's bound hands before looking up into her face.

"I usually work alone." Was Valeria's reply and Sarah's eyes narrowed as she noted that Valeria hadn't actually answered. She then glanced at the door to the tent where the guards were standing.

"Do you have a plan?" She finally asked as Valeria moved next to Sarah and leaned her back against the tent wall.

"I tend to improvise a lot." Valeria said with a smile as she looked at the cords binding her wrists. The muscles of her forearms began to move and bulge as she carefully began to test the strength of her bonds.

"So we wait?" Sarah asked, leaning her back against the tent wall.

"We wait." Valeria replied, not looking up from her efforts.

A lone sentry yawned at his post as he again scanned the desolate horizon with his nightvison scope. The sun was beginning to climb into the sky and he was eager to head below the surface as soon as he was relieved. Suddenly there was a boom and the sentry's head vanished in a red mist. His corpse fell over the wall of the watchtower as the mercenary walking to relieve him dove for cover. Shouts began to echo about the camp as he peered over the sandbagged wall then died as another round hit him in the forehead.

The guards on the prisoners looked about with their weapons drawn as they heard shouts and firing. There was a rush of movement behind them, and then two huge bloodstained hands palmed their heads and slammed them together. The guards dropped and were quickly dispatched by shots from one of their rifles.

"That's Dusk's gauss rifle." Sarah observed as she grabbed energy clips from the dead guards.

"I need to get you out of the fort." Valeria said as she flexed her hands. She had broken the cords binding her wrists, but they had cut deeply and her hands felt stiff.

"Not while the Pride is out there. We may have the element of surprise, but Talon Company has us outnumbered. We need to provide whatever distraction we can from in here." Valeria's mouth opened to object when gunfire interrupted her. Several mercenaries passing the crater had seen them and were now firing as Sarah and Valeria dove for cover.

Jabsco swore as he looked out on the chaos from his bunker. A sniper was on the ridge overlooking the fort and was picking off his men with ruthless efficiency. It also sounded like there was shooting in the northern sector of the Fort where the prisoners where. Jabsco swore as he realized it had to be the Brotherhood trying to rescue Sarah. The Brotherhood were based in the DC ruins, while Talon Companies' presence in Fort Bannister wasn't common knowledge. No transmitters had been found on the big mutant, so how did the Brotherhood find Lyons so quickly? He shook his head with fury as he concentrated on more immediate problems.

Jabsco had ordered a squad to circle around and flank the sniper. Gauss rifles were powerful but had a slow rate of fire. While they were moving from rock to rock up the slope, he ordered another squad to the north. The rest where keeping their heads down until the sniper was silenced. Suddenly the roar of a minigun echoed from the ridge above. Jabsco's transmitter was soon crackling with the message that the sniper wasn't alone, and had a heavily armored knight providing cover fire.

Up on the ridge Paladin Glade calmly reloaded his weapon while waiting for the advancing Black Talons to break cover.

"That'll give them something to think about." He said as he swung his gun into place, its barrels whirling with an electric hum.

"They're getting cautious." Knight Captain Dusk observed as she looked through the scope of her rifle into the fort below. "They're keeping their heads down. I can't believe they didn't have a sentry up here."

"Overconfidence most likely." Glade replied. "They're getting ready to rush our position now that they know there's only two of us up here."

"Sounds like Sarah and Valeria are giving them hell down there." Dusk said chuckling.

Valeria crouched behind a concrete slab as Sarah tried to keep the mercenaries back with quick shots of her laser rifle. Reinforcements had arrived and now one squad was laying down suppressing fire while the other moved closer to their position. It was only a matter of time before they were flanked, and both women knew it. Valeria braced herself to charge and give Sarah a chance to escape when the Talons were suddenly raked by fire from above the crater. Caught by surprise, the mercenaries turned to face the new threat as Sarah stood and opened fire. With a shriek, Valeria leaped to her feet and hurled herself up the slope into the mercenaries. Only one got a shot at her as she smashed into them, lashing out in all directions as bullets and lasers crisscrossed around her.

Caught in the open and flanked by Valeria and Sarah, the mercenaries quickly fell, and two armored knights slid down the slope of the crater toward them.

"Kodiak! Gallows!" Sarah shouted in delight before regaining her composure.

"Sentinel." Replied Kodiak with a nod. "We need to get you out of here before Talon Company fully mobilizes." Sarah was about to object when explosions echoed from the south. Kodiak swore and said. "The Talons are rushing Dusk and Glade's position, we need to get moving now!"

Back on the ridge, the Talons had begun advancing up the slope behind a shower of grenades. One had exploded in front of Glade, hurling him to the ground bloodied and stunned. Dusk ran to his side and tried to pull him behind cover when another explosion knocked her to the ground. Shaking her head, she tried to get to her feet and reach her rifle when she heard a huge electronic voice bellow.

"Communist aggressor detected!"

Jabsco couldn't believe what he was seeing. One moment the battle was going his way as his men came to the surface armed with rocked launchers and miniguns. The next, a giant robot firing blasts of energy from its visor and bellowing pre-war propaganda walked through the chain link perimeter fence and started tearing the fort apart. There was a mushroom cloud of fire as the robot destroyed one of his trucks and Jabsco began shouting orders.

"Heavy weapons to the front! Fire at its fucking legs!"

"Liberty Prime!" Sarah exclaimed in astonishment as she watched the robot wipe out a Talon Company squad.

"We got intelligence about your location, but it took time to bring Liberty Prime here." Kodiak explained. "It was a good thing they were sloppy with patrols or we never would have gotten it here." Another mushroom cloud roared toward the sky as the robot bellowed. "Target eliminated!"

Jabsco swore as he watched his dreams of empire crumble under the robot's onslaught. His men were fighting stubbornly, but every time they made a stand the robot would turn its visor toward them and tear them apart with its energy blasts. Their return fire was having an effect as rocket after rocket slammed into Liberty Prime. It's legs sparking and smoking, one gave out as the robot took a step and stumbled to one knee with an earth-shaking crash. Jabsco grinned viciously. His army had taken a terrible beating but victory was again within reach. Suddenly white flashes in the sky caught his attention and he looked up.

A cluster of black specks had appeared against the overcast sky getting larger with each passing second. Jabsco stared uncomprehendingly until he saw the smoky contrails behind them and realized he was seeing a massive incoming missile strike. Realizing he had been betrayed, Jabsco roared with impotent fury as Liberty Prime vanished in a blinding flash. Jabsco was hurled into a wall as the first shockwave scattered the surviving mercenaries like straws in a tornado. Deafened and coughing blood, the mercenary pulled himself to his knees and looked up in time to witness the next salvo roar down on top of him.

Valeria, Sarah and the other knights had just made it to edge of the crater when the deafening roar of the missile strikes slammed into them. Valeria seized Sarah by the waist and leaped for the edge. She dropped Sarah as soon as her boots hit the ground and turned to help Kodiak and Gallows as clouds of fire mushroomed toward them. Valeria seized their wrists and with a desperate heave hurled them both out of the crater as a missile roared into the command tents and knocked Valeria sprawling on her back. This time it was Kodiak and Gallows who helped Valeria, seizing her under her arms and dragging her clear as missile after missile slammed into Fort Bannister.

Sarah led the way to a hill crowned by a gutted ruin where they took shelter as debris rained down around them. The sublevels of the base began to collapse under the relentless barrage revealing a gaping pit belching clouds of smoke and fire. There was no sign of Liberty Prime as the remaining structures of the Fort slid into the crater with a roar as the missile strike finally ended.

"What the hell?" Kodiak exclaimed when the echoes faded enough to be heard.

"Liberty Prime's gone." Said Gallows.

"It served its purpose." Sarah said, assuming command despite wearing only tattered underwear and covered with streaks of dirt and blood. "We have to return to the Citadel and report. Perhaps Rothchild can tell us what happened."

Kodiak nodded and touched the collar of his armor. "Mission accomplished." He said. "Heading to the pickup zone." He listened for a moment then turned to Sarah. "Dusk and Glade have been retrieved. Glade's wounded but okay."

"Well done." Sarah said with a nod. She then turned to Valeria. "You took a terrible risk entering the base, you have my thanks and the thanks of the Brotherhood."

Valeria nodded then turned to look grimly at the fading contrails above.


	32. Chapter 32

Valeria and the Pride waited until an Enclave Vertibird newly emblazoned with the symbol of the Brotherhood landed with a roar of turbines. The Pride climbed into the transport hold where Sarah recovered her armor and Valeria her hammer. As the Vertibird lifted off, one of the pilots informed Sarah that they had sent confirmation of her rescue, but had yet to receive any replies from the Citadel. Sarah told them to keep trying, adding that it was just as well that the news of Liberty Prime's destruction would have to wait.

Valeria and the Knights were silent as they each considered what they had seen at Fort Bannister and its implications. The only sounds where the whine of the rotors and the repeated attempts of the pilots to raise the Citadel. As the minutes crawled by, Sarah began to look with concern at the cockpit. Suddenly the cab tilted as the Vertibird banked sharply.

"Sentinel…we're seeing smoke from the Citadel. It could be another attack so we're bringing her down outside." All the knights sat up gripping their weapons and Sarah's face went pale in the red light. After a moment there was a shudder as the Vertibird landed and Sarah released her harness and lunged to the door. The twin rotors were still churning clouds of dust as Sarah covered her face with her arm and ran toward the Citadel with Valeria and the Pride close behind. She stopped and stared at the walls of the fortress with roiling clouds of black smoke billowing above it. Ignoring the other knights and scribes standing on the shore of the Potomac, Sarah ran through the gate and into the inner bailey.

She could go no further. Stretching before Sarah and Valeria was a vast crater filled with flames and acrid black smoke.

"No…" Sarah whispered as she stared at the destruction. A knight approached them from the gate and Sarah whirled to face him, her eyes wide and shining.

"Were there any survivors?"

"There was no warning Sentinel." The knight replied. "Only those manning the outer ring have been accounted for, the rest…" He shook his head before continuing. "We're trying to find survivors, but…" His voice trailed off into silence, his meaning clear. Sarah turned back to the crater, tears cutting tracks through the grime on her face.

"Father…" She whispered before putting her face in her hands.

Valeria also bowed her head, knowing Sarah's pain all too well. Elder Lyons, Rothchild, and Seneschal Cross's faces all came unbidden to her mind as once again she grieved for friends cruelly taken away.

"Where did the attack come from?" Sarah snapped as she jerked her head up.

"Some signals were intercepted at the purifier." The knight replied. "The scribes there are trying to decipher them now."

"It was the Enclave." Valeria said, remembering what President Eden had told her at Raven Rock. The AI had mentioned new possibilities in its plan of conquest that Colonel Autumn was unaware of. With guilt gnawing at her, Valeria was certain that she seeing the horrifying consequences of the bargain she had struck. Sarah turned and looked into Valeria's pain haunted eyes, sharing their mutual anguish before she spoke.

"The Enclave has taken our fathers." She said, her voice hoarse with emotion. "You were willing to sacrifice yourself to fulfill your father's dream. I will do no less." She turned to the knight and snapped. "Gather all the survivors at the Purifier! As soon as we find the origin of his attack I'm to be notified!"

"Yes Sentinel!" The knight replied with a salute.

Sarah turned to Valeria and said. "I don't know what I'll be sending the Brotherhood into. I could be destroying all that's left of what my father built." She took a deep breath to compose herself before continuing. "You have done so much for the Brotherhood, but this is not your fight. If you don't wish to accompany me, I understand."

Valeria stepped forward, put her hand on Sarah's shoulder and looked into her eyes. "This is my fight." She said. "More now then ever. Wherever you lead, I'll follow." Sarah put her hand over Valeria's for a moment as she stared silently at her friend. Then she turned and without a backward glance led the way out of the Citadel.

All the Brotherhood personnel that had survived gathered at the Purifier while Sarah and Valeria waited in the Mainframe chamber as the scribes tried to decipher the flood of signals captured by the antenna arrays.

"Sentinel." A scribe said as she looked up from her screen in confusion. "We are receiving a transmission from the Wasteland."

"Is it encrypted?"

"No Sentinel. It appears to be a message."

"Put it on the monitor."

The scribe bent over the keyboard and with a few strokes glowing green letters began to scroll across the main monitor. Sarah and Valeria leaned closer to read the message consisting of one short message.

"The Enclave is at Andrews Air Force Base."

"Can you determine where this came from?" Sarah snapped.

"It appears to have been bounced off of radio towers all over the Wasteland Sentinel. It will take time to track it down."

"Andrews Air Force Base?" Valeria asked.

"A pre-war facility outside the DC area." Sarah replied. "It was where the President's transport was kept. We assumed it had been destroyed and never scouted the area."

"So what are you going to do?"

Sarah was silent for a minute as she clenched her chin in deep thought. Then she jerked her hand down and looked up.

"We're going to Andrews. Most likely it's a trap, but with the capabilities the Enclave has shown today, staying here will be suicide. We have no choice but to take the fight to them."

Sarah immediately ordered all surviving Brotherhood forces into the refurbished fleet of Vertibirds. Although the knights were grimly determined to avenge their comrades at the Citadel, they were not many. Every Vertibird that could fly took off from the Purifier, crowded with Brotherhood knights and flown by inexperienced pilots. It was clearly Sarah's hope that speed and audacity would be enough to defeat the Enclave.

Valeria rode in the Vertibird with Sarah, her mind weighed down with guilt and foreboding. She knew the desperate raid was the only choice the Brotherhood had. Any attempt to defend DC would result in a war of attrition the Brotherhood would certainly lose. Valeria also hadn't told Sarah about the bargain she made to escape Raven Rock. At the time she had no idea what Eden was capable of, but she still felt responsible for the death of Elder Lyons and the others. Perhaps Sarah wouldn't blame her but Valeria couldn't bring herself to find out. Instead she sat silent as the Vertibirds flew through the gathering darkness over the shattered ruins of the Capital.

Suddenly the Vertibird lurched and began to dive. "We're taking fire Sentinel!" The pilot shouted as they heard another voice crackle over the radio.

"Vertibird Three is down!"

"This is Sentinel Lyons!" Sarah shouted as she released her harness and staggered to the cockpit. "All transports land now!"

Sarah seized a support and held on as the Vertibird roared to the ground as flashes of red light from lasers illuminated the cabin like a strobe.

"Out now!" Sarah shouted as the Vertibird landed with bone jarring force and the Pride leaped out the cargo doors into a scene of chaos. Flames from a burning wreck lit the courtyard where the Vertibirds where trying to land, some trailing smoke and flames as lasers from auto turrets criss-crossed the sky.

"Heavy weapons to the front!" Sarah ordered as she waved her arm toward the concrete walls surrounding them. "Form a perimeter and take out those turrets!" The Brotherhood began returning fire with miniguns and rockets and one by one silencing the auto-turrets when with a roar three Vertibirds swooped over the courtyard their cannons flaming. A Brotherhood Vertibird erupted in a fireball as the Knights returned fire. The enemy Vertibirds were banking for another pass when one of the Brotherhood's rockets found its target, shattering a turbine and sending the aircraft spinning into the ground. Fire and shrapnel rained down on the beleaguered knights as the remaining Vertibirds escaped into the darkness.

Sarah called Valeria and the Pride to her as the rest of the knights tried to erect barricades and salvage ammunition from the remaining transports.

"We're trapped here." Sarah said, her face expressionless. "The Enclave knows where we are and are doubtless gathering their forces." She glanced at the burning wreckage of the Vertibird and continued. "We've shown them an air assault won't drive us off, so now they'll try a ground assault."

"Let 'em try it." Said Dusk as she hefted her rifle.

"We can't win." Sarah said grimly. "The Enclave has the resources of the base backing them up. We'll hurt them, but we'll eventually be overrun. Their air defenses have proven to be too effective. If we try to use the Vertibirds to advance our position the Enclave will destroy them as they try to land. And if they decide to use the orbital bombardment again…" Sarah's composure began to crack and she bowed her head to gather herself as the Pride watched silently.

"I think there is a way." Valeria suddenly announced. All heads turned to her as she explained. "One Vertibird flying at higher altitude might be able to evade the anti-aircraft defenses and get in close to the Enclave's headquarters. If it does, I'll go in and take out the launcher."

"You would be killed as soon as it landed." Sarah pointed out.

"It's not going to land." Valeria replied shaking her head. "That's why it has to be me. "The Vertibird will fly as close as it can without slowing down, and I'll jump out." There was a long pause as Sarah and the Pride stared in disbelief.

"And everyone thinks I'm the crazy one." Captain Gallows finally said.

"You think you can do it?" Sarah asked, frowning.

"It's not the first time I've had to bail out of a Vertibird." Valeria replied with a grim smile. "If anyone can survive I can. It's a long shot at best, but Sarah's right and we don't have time or options."

Soon Valeria and Sarah were inside a Vertibird flown by the best pilot the Brotherhood had. Using salvaged radio equipment, the Brotherhood managed to identify a signal from the airfield that matched one they captured during the orbital strike on the Citadel. Sarah insisted on coming, leaving command of the Brotherhood defenses with Paladin Kodiak. The Pride took their orders silently, clearly not pleased with Sarah's decision but knowing there was no point in arguing.

As the Vertibird began to lift off, energy weapons began to light up the sky around the barracks as the Enclave began its assault. Sarah sat in the co-pilot seat listening to the radio as the Vertibird began a steep climb to avoid missile fire. Valeria sat in the back, also listening to the cacophony of radio chatter. Judging from what they were hearing, the Brotherhood faced a force of cybernetically altered Deathclaws fighting alongside heavily armored Enclave soldiers. Valeria clenched her fists as the Vertibird tilted from side to side as it climbed and banked. There had to be a way to stop the Enclave before the Brotherhood knights were wiped out.

"We're coming up on the source of the transmission Sentinel." The pilot announced as Sarah leaned forward. Risking getting flung about the compartment, Valeria unhooked her restraining harness and went forward to look out the window as well. Far below them was a massive tracked structure as large as the Rivet City aircraft carrier. A huge satellite relay rose from its deck like a tower, lit by the red flashes of laser turrets.

"Get as close to the tower as you can." Sarah ordered as Valeria made her way to the access hatch.

"We're going in Sentinel!" The Pilot replied as the Vertibird began to dive at the crawler. Valeria seized the handle of the door and with a jerk forced it open. Immediately the cabin was filled with howling wind as the tower hurtled toward them. Lasers fried the air around the Vertibird as it pulled up and Valeria flung herself into space. She tumbled through the air trying frantically to land feet first when her boots slammed into the steel deck and she was sent tumbling. Her momentum hurled her into and over the railing with only a desperate grab saving her. Her arm savagely wrenched and her legs numb, Valeria hung by her left hand as she took huge breaths. Suddenly lasers began to sear the steel about her as an auto turret from below began to target her.

Seizing the railing with her other hand, Valeria heaved herself back on the upper deck as laser fire vaporized the wall where she had been hanging. Staggering forward, Valeria saw a steel door set in the base of the tower and limped toward it. She risked a look for the Vertibird and saw nothing in the dark sky, and then she tried the door. It opened and she found herself inside a dark hallway that opened into a dimly lit control room. Alert for guards, Valeria limped toward a monitor in the center of the room flanked by glowing blue columns. She looked at the keyboard below when a pulsing line appeared in the center of the screen accompanied by a familiar voice that echoed about the room.

"So we meet again." Said President Eden. "I must thank you for freeing me and ending Colonel Autumn's divisive ambitions." Valeria looked about the room at the mainframes and glowing monitors, trying to find some way to destroy the AI.

"I see you're looking for a way to stop me." Eden said pleasantly. "I assure you, there is no way you can with the weapons you possess." Valeria glared at the monitor as Eden continued.

"I do agree with my former lieutenant that you are too dangerous to be allowed to live. All of my forces have been committed to battle, so the troublesome Brotherhood will soon be no more and you will be killed by the orbital strike targeted at this platform."

"I'll find a way to stop you." Valeria growled as she approached the monitor.

"That will be impossible." Eden said condescendingly. "The strike has already been launched and this vehicle will be destroyed in less than a minute. My core personality is the only remaining component I need to transfer. You will never get far enough away to survive the bombardment, so I shall now bid you farewell."

"Priority Override 420-03-20-9." Valeria snarled as the code Colonel Autumn had given her flashed into her mind.

"What…?" Eden said, its voice confused. "How did…oh of course…" The pulsing line shrank to a dot, and then the screen went dark.

"Die mutant!" A woman's voice shrieked as a plasma bolt seared Valeria's back. Valeria screamed and whirled, flinging her hammer behind her. The massive weapon slammed into the officer's chest, flinging her across the room and smashing her against a bulkhead. Valeria limped forward and picked up her sledge as the woman lay on the deck gagging blood and glaring with hatred until suddenly going limp. Valeria stepped over the body, ignorant that she had just killed Colonel Romanova.

Valeria stepped out onto the deck and looked up. A cold wind was blowing as she stared into the starless sky and saw several white flashes. She knew it was the strike entering the atmosphere and that Eden was correct in its assessment that she couldn't escape. She looked out over the base to where she could hear distant sounds of battle, hoping she had done enough to save the beleaguered Brotherhood forces. Valeria looked up at the white dots growing larger above her and resolutely waited for the end.

Suddenly a blast of wind roared over her as a Vertibird suddenly blocked out the sky.

"Val!" Shouted Sarah Lyons as she leaned out the hatch with her hand extended.

"Jump!"

Valeria hesitated a moment in disbelief, then ran forward and flung herself at the Vertibird. Her hand seized Sarah's outstretched arm and the Vertibird banked away from the crawler flinging both women into the hold. They sprawled against the wall as the pilot cursed and frantically opened the throttle trying desperately to get as far away from the crawler as he could. Suddenly the cabin was filled with a blinding flash as missiles began to slam into the giant vehicle. Then the thundering roar of the explosions caught the aircraft in a giant fist and shook it as the pilot frantically tried to keep it in the air. Sarah and Valeria simply hung on with their eyes closed as concussion after concussion battered the Vertibird. Finally the roaring faded to a distant rumbling and the pilot announced wearily. "We're in the clear Sentinel."

Valeria stared into Sarah's face as she tried to accept that once again she had cheated death.

"You came back…" Was all Valeria could say.

"Of course I did." Sarah replied with a smile. "The Pride never leaves one of its own behind."


	33. Chapter 33

"Well, well." Sneered a familiar voice causing Valeria to look up. "It looks like they'll let anyone into Tenpenny Tower these days." Standing at the top of a staircase flanking the front desk was Moriarty. He was dressed in a tan suit and tie and holding a cigar but his insincere smile was unchanged.

"What brings you to this little slice of Heaven?" He drawled before inhaling from his cigar.

"So this is where you went after leaving Megaton." Valeria replied, ignoring the tan armored guards flanking her with weapons drawn.

"Of course." Moriarty said with a grin as he pointed to the lobby with the cigar. "Better class of people by far than that dank pit I left behind. I really should thank Mr. Simms for the opportunity." Moriarty's tone was light, but his eyes burned with hatred as he looked down on Valeria.

"Be sure to stop by the Federalist for some refreshment after your business has been concluded, if you aren't indisposed." Moriarty said over his shoulder as he turned and waved.

"Let's go." Snapped the leader of the guards, a grim-faced man named Gustav. Valeria was escorted around the main desk; a massive affair made of mahogany, and approached the doors to an elevator. Standing in front of them was another man in a tan suit, his eyes hidden behind tinted glasses and the brim of a fedora. As Valeria and the guards approached he illuminated his face with a match cupped behind his hand as he lit a cigar. Suddenly Valeria recognized the shadowy figure she had seen sitting in the back of Moriarty's Saloon before she disarmed the bomb so many months ago.

"Tenpenny wants her to head up alone."

"Alone?" Gustav asked in disbelief. "I don't know what Tenpenny thinks he's dealing with Burke but…"

"Maybe you'd like to ask Mr. Tenpenny yourself?" Burke asked calmly, his eyes shadowed. Chief Gustav visibly swallowed, then scowled at Valeria.

"Go on then. But try anything…"

Valeria nodded and walked toward the elevator with a hard look at Burke. Burke smiled and stepped aside, gesturing toward the doors with a mocking nod. Valeria stepped into the elevator and turned for one more look at the opulent lobby with its faded pre-war furnishings and massive crystal chandeliers. Then the doors closed with a ding and the elevator began to shake as it rose to the top of the tower.

Tenpenny was alone on the balcony of his penthouse, drinking a finger of whiskey as Valeria stepped through the door. He turned as he heard the door close and smiled as she walked toward him.

"Splendid day isn't it?" He asked jovially as Valeria stopped before him, uncertain how to respond. "A truly magnificent view." He added as he gestured with his glass over the wastes far below baking in the afternoon sun. Tenpenny sat in a lounge chair next to a small table holding a chessboard and a half full bottle. He drained his glass with a quick gulp then sighed as he set it down on the table and lifted the bottle.

"Can I interest you in a drink?" He asked as he held the bottle poised to pour over the glass. Valeria shook her head and Tenpenny proceeded to fill the his glass with the amber liquid.

"Your health." He said as he raised it toward her then drained it in one swallow.

"I'm surprised you've come, and alone at that." Tenpenny observed as he set the glass down on the table. "I expected a visit from the Brotherhood once they figured out where their intelligence was coming from."

"Sarah doesn't know I'm here." Valeria said as she folded her arms.

"If you aren't here on the behest of the Brotherhood, then why are you here?"

"You are the one who put the bounty on me, aren't you?"

"I applaud your powers of deduction." Tenpenny said with a cackle. "Yes it was I."

"Why?"

"To answer that question you will need to indulge an old man for a moment." Tenpenny produced a cigar, lit it, than extended it toward Valeria with a raised eyebrow. Valeria again shook her head, and with a chuckle the old warlord inhaled deeply then blew a large smoke ring that wobbled through the air until a fierce breeze scattered it.

"All around us you see the wasteland. A land devoid of anything but squalor and radiation, but to a man of vision and means, filled with opportunity. For a time I represented the only civilizing influence in this blighted land, but then the Brotherhood arrived. Fortunately the Supermutants began to become a significant problem at the same time and Old Lyons declaration of war effectively negated the influence of those two factions. This continued for years until it became clear that the Brotherhood was beginning to lose ground." Tenpenny took a moment smoke before continuing.

"Then Talon Company arrived from the South. They may have been mercenaries, but it was clear that their commander, Jabsco, had ambitions for something greater. Fortunately his love of caps overcame his love of power and I was able to purchase his services to curtail the Supermutant's numbers outside the DC ruins. The relative peace in the Wasteland did have unintended consequences. Megaton began to rise from squalor to become a potential new trading hub. I dislike competition and I sent Mr. Burke to the town to evaluate the situation and find possible solutions."

"I saw him." Valeria interrupted. "When I was at Moriarty's." Valeria's eyes narrowed as a suspicion began to dawn. Tenpenny saw the look in her eyes and nodded with a smile.

"Mr. Burke implemented a solution truly breathtaking in its efficiency."

"It was Burke who rigged the bomb to explode." Valeria growled.

"Yes it was." Tenpenny replied, unconcerned by the anger in Valeria's eyes. "An extreme solution, true, but I did give him a rather broad mandate."

"I mutated because of the radiation from that bomb." Valeria snarled, uncrossing her arms and stepping toward Tenpenny.

"Unintended consequences yet again." Tenpenny said as he leaned forward and locked eyes with Valeria. "But you survived and suddenly the game had a new player, one with the potential to change everything."

"So you hired Talon Company to kill me?"

"Yes, but not for the reasons you clearly assume. Despite the Supermutants, Jabsco was beginning to consolidate his hold on the central wastes. It was time to change the game and the bounty on you put you on a collision course with Talon Company. You proved to be a wildly unpredictable, but highly effective agent of change. You eliminated the growing influence of Ashur in the wasteland through his cat's paw Euloygy Jones. The Supermutants are now in decline, Jabsco is dead his army scattered, and the Brotherhood sustained a blow they will be recovering from for years if they ever do."

"Was the Enclave part of your plan too?"

"Once the Enclave took overt action, I had to work quickly. Their new leadership was uncertain and their ranks divided after the Purifier incident. For a time I was able to present myself as a necessary agent for procurement and intelligence. It was only a matter of time before any of the three militant factions began fighting; the trick was to present myself as indispensable until that time arrived. Sarah Lyons provided the means to aim the Enclave and the Brotherhood at Talon Company. After that I simply had to wait and let nature take its course between the Brotherhood and the Enclave."

"The Brotherhood almost lost." Valeria grated, remembering the desperate fighting at the base, even after Eden's destruction turned the Deathclaws against their former masters.

"That was certainly a possibility." Tenpenny admitted amiably. "Especially given the power of the weapons the Enclave had gained access too. But sometimes gambles must be taken and pieces sacrificed to gain victory."

"So you think you've 'won'?" Valeria snarled as she clenched her fists.

"I know I've won." Tenpenny replied with a grin. "All the factions interfering with my plans have been weakened or eliminated, leaving only the matter of you."

Valeria froze, confused by Tenpenny's lack of concern despite his isolation and proximity to an angry mutant.

"My dear girl." He said with all trace of humor gone from his voice. "I want you to leave the Wasteland. As encouragement, I intend to keep the bounty on your head active. So far no one has collected, but one day you will get careless or some bounty hunter will get lucky."

"Remove it Tenpenny." Valeria snarled as she stepped forward.

"Or what?" The old warlord replied raising his eyebrows. "You'll kill me? I admit it would be easy enough. You could dispatch me with that weapon I permitted you to bring, or you could save the trouble and simply cast me from this balcony. I'm an old man and unarmed, I could do nothing to stop you." Valeria stopped directly in front of him, her huge hands flexing as her eyes burned with rage.

"But you won't." Tenpenny said as his easy smile returned. "You don't get where I am without being a good judge of character. You've taken life, but never for any reason but to preserve your own. You have sacrificed too much for others for me to believe that you would kill someone in cold blood. You may be a killer Valeria, but you're no murderer."

Valeria glared at Tenpenny for a long moment before opening her fists and stepping back. She knew he was right, although that knowledge offered little solace.

"And so this game comes to a close." Tenpenny gestured toward the chessboard. "Would you care for a game of chess? I am always on the lookout for new opponents."

Valeria shook her head, than leaned down so her face was only inches from Tenpenny's.

"You're right Tenpenny." She snarled. "I'm not a murderer, but don't think for a moment that my restraint makes me weak."

"That would be a foolish mistake indeed." Tenpenny replied, his smile intact. "And not one I intend to make. I believe you have a long trip ahead of you. Cheerio!"

Valeria walked away from Tenpenny Tower without looking back. The open road stretched before her as the wind moaned across the wastes. Valeria closed her eyes a moment and took a deep breath. Tenpenny had added an impetus to leave, but Valeria had already made her decision. Colonel Autumn had been right, there was no community in the Capital Wasteland that would accept her once they discovered the price she paid for her superhuman abilities. Her future now lay somewhere in the West, where her mother had come from. If she could find traces of Catherine, then just maybe she could find out what she was, and perhaps what she might become.

Valeria turned toward the sun, and with tears filling her eyes said the goodbyes she couldn't bring herself to say in person. To Amata, her childhood friend who she knew would lead the Vault to a better future. To Milly, whom she desperately hoped managed to find freedom outside the hell of the Pitt. To Marie, the little girl who had a new home and a chance of a better life. To Sarah Lyons, the only other friend she had, who she had left without an explanation of her role in the destruction of the Citadel. And finally to her mother and father whose deaths promised a new beginning for the Capital Wasteland.

Then Valeria raised her head and turned to the West. With tears streaking the dust covering her face, she began to run.

And so it was that Valeria, the exile from Vault 101 strode out of the Wasteland and into legend. For all her efforts to prove she was more than a monster, Valeria could never bear the condemnation she was sure would follow if the true price of her choices and abilities became known. Once again she chose exile, turning her back on the Capital Wasteland and the people for whom she had suffered so much. Seeking answers to questions about her destiny and the past of the mother she had never known, Valeria went west seeking the city her father had called New Vegas.

But Valeria's journey would be anything but peaceful, for post apocalypse America was a war-torn land and war…

War never changes.


End file.
